An Artist Who's Lost His Touch
by castielsgrace
Summary: This story takes place 5 years after Kurt and Blaine have graduated. Kurt has moved to New York and is a huge Broadway star, he's got a movie in the works. Blaine moved to Seattle and is finishing up his last year of art school. Rated T for language.
1. Hello Again

Blaine walked out of the art building, an unpainted canvas in hand. He lifted his free hand, combing it through his dark brown curls as he gazed at the dark sky above him. It was only seven, but already the city before him was illuminated by the lights from the buildings all around him. Blaine loved it in Seattle, but every night he found himself thinking about the lack of stars. He knew they were there, he did graduate after all, but he missed being able to see them. Each night he would think back to his time at Dalton, sometimes subconsciously, sometimes simply to reminisce. But tonight his mind wandered to the night he had spent with Kurt under the stars outside of the Windsor dorm room... his last night with Kurt before they went their separate ways. Sure, Kurt had kept in touch with Blaine... for a while. But when Kurt got discovered the phone calls changed to emails and eventually those emails became texts that were obviously thrown together quickly. And now? Now it was rare to even get that.

As Blaine walked towards his small flat downtown he saw Kurt. Many times. Every other billboard featured his beautiful face next to a plain looking girl. The posters were for his latest production of _Grease_. The fact it was being advertised all the way in Seattle just made it clear how big of a deal Kurt was now. Around one of the posters was a group of girls, they were all giggling and Blaine slowed down a bit, overhearing their conversation.

"...he totally disserves better then that girl," one of them said.

"How could he date _her_ while he's got all of us?" Added another, beginning another round of giggles from the girls. Blaine rolled his eyes. These girls were not only vain, but quite stupid apparently. Blaine walked over, unable to resist bursting their little fantasy bubbles.

"Sorry ladies," he said as he leaned against the poster, "he's not into you or his lovely co-star." There were a series of shocked gasps from the girls standing in front of him. "Oh, relax. It's simply because he's gay."

"What?" The first girl gaped, making herself even less attractive.

"You're such a liar!" A blonde girl to Blaine's right said angrily.

"'fraid not. See, I went to school with him. He's most definitely gay."

"God, you're such a creep!" A redhead yelled, dragging her friends away from the poster. With a laugh, Blaine turned to the poster, touching the cheek of his ex-lover.

"I miss you, you know," he whispered, resting his forehead against the picture. From the angle he could see the dates of Kurt's show. "I can make it," he whispered to himself, and his decision was made. He was getting on a plane in the morning and seeing Kurt in all his success for the first time.

"Kurt, what the hell!" Tia screamed at him, they were both seated on the couch across from his balcony in Kurt's large flat, their scripts out as they tried to get some extra practice in before opening night the next day. Everything was going fine, and they were both having a blast, and then Tia moved in, trying to kiss Kurt. When he moved back, a disgusted look on his face, Tia took it in all the wrong ways. The fact she was as vain as they came didn't help, either.

"Look, Tia. You're gorgeous. Trust me. But, well," Kurt looked her square in the eye, "I'm gay."

The shock was evident on Tia's face, along with some guilt. Suddenly, it was extremely awkward between the two. "Oh," Tia said finally, "sorry."

"It's fine. Just don't let this," he motioned to the two of them, "interfere with work." With a nod Tia grabbed her stuff and exited quickly. Kurt sighed weakly when the door clicked shut. Why was this constantly happening with his female co-stars? He stood up, giving the pile of papers on his coffee table one look before deciding he was too emotionally exhausted and walking out onto his balcony which was twenty stories above the beautiful New York. Walking over to the metal railing, he placed his elbows on, resting his chin in his hands as he stared out into the darkness of the city that never sleeps. There were no stars in the sky here. Kurt's mind wandered to his memory of his last wonderful night at Dalton. Even though five years had passed, Kurt saw it in his mind with such detail that he felt like he was there once again. Kurt could feel the grass under him and Blaine's heartbeat in his ear as they lay on the grass together outside of the Windsor dorm. He away from the stars to stare at Blaine and he could see every curve, every shadow, and every detail of his face through the darkness. Kurt could feel Blaine's breath on his face again, and he let out a jagged sigh filled with emotion, returning to his New York.

Ever since he was discovered three years ago he'd found less and less time to talk to the man who was once his love. They'd drifted so far apart in that time that Kurt no longer knew where Blaine was, and that was Kurt's biggest regret. Every show he preformed he would scan the crowd, looking for Blaine, and each time Kurt would see only strangers. Kurt always wondered why Blaine had never came to one of his shows, and while he knew it was probably something to do with distance or money; he still worried to the day that Blaine had found someone new: someone better.

Since gaining his newfound fame, Kurt had been approached by a lot of the guys who used to bully him. Amazingly enough, Karofsky was one of them. In fact, it was only a week ago that Karofsky had shown up... with his boyfriend. Although Kurt couldn't let go of the pain the kid has caused him, he was glad he finally came out of the closet. Sadly, most of his old bullies tried to tell him they were great friends, but Kurt simply responded to them with, "No, you were never my friend. In fact, you made my life a living hell. Now get out of my face." Which tended to scare them off. That or his body guard.

Kurt pulled his phone out from his pocket, shifting through the texts he had received and hoping that the impossible would happen and there would be a text from Blaine. He had almost reached the end of his inbox when he gasped, nearly dropping his phone to the street below him.


	2. Old Friends

_Hey Kurt, it's Blaine._

Kurt read and re-read the message in disbelief. Why, out of nowhere, would Blaine text him? It had to be a crude joke one of his old friends thought would be funny. He scowled at his phone and it took all his self control not to throw it off the balcony. Kurt wanted so badly to believe that it was Blaine, but whenever he fell for it he would be laughed at. He just wasn't willing to get his hopes up to have them crushed once again. Kurt received another text ten minutes later.

_Kurt? Is this still your number?_

With a roll of his eyes, Kurt walked back into his apartment. He looked down at his coffee table once again, and with a sigh he decided to attempt to clean it up. As he tried to put the sheets back in order Kurt thought about where he was in life. He was on Broadway, and that wasn't even the extent of it. He was _popular_ on Broadway. Kurt looked at the bag of letters sitting on his counter. He had fans. Lots of them. Everything he ever wanted was in the palm of his hand, so why was he still worried about Blaine? Surely he had moved on to be successful in whatever he went to school for, so Kurt had no reason to worry. Just as he had gotten the last of the pages in order, his ringtone played loudly, making Kurt jump and drop them all again.

"Oh, that's just great," Kurt moaned, reaching for the phone on the couch behind him. The number was unlisted. "Who the hell?" He questioned as he lifted the phone to his ear.

"Hello?" Kurt asked flatly.

"_Kurt! So this is still your number!" _Kurt froze, his eyes bulging and his mouth handing open. He suddenly felt breathless. "_Kurt? You there?"_

"...Blaine?" Kurt's voice was barely a whisper.

"_Yeah! I told you it was me. Why didn't you answer my texts?"_ Blaine sounded high on happiness.

"Why are you calling me?" Kurt's voice sounded more cruel then he liked, and he winced at the sound of Blaine's response, he sounded hurt.

"_Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to disturb you. I'll, uh, I'll go."_

"No, Blaine! Hang on a sec," Kurt said quickly, pressing the phone firmly against his ear, trying to hear Blaine's beautiful voice as clearly as possible, "that's not what I meant. I just... why after all this time?" A range of emotions overtook suddenly overtook Kurt, and he wasn't sure if he wanted to weep or scream.

"_Well, I saw the poster for Grease. I just wanted to see if this was still your number,"_ there was a pause, _"and to ask if there were any tickets available."_

"You're coming to see it?" Kurt gasped.

"_I figured it was about time."_ An uncomfortable silence fell over them, then out of nowhere Blaine's spoke, his voice quiet but serious, _"I've missed you, Kurt."_

"I've missed you, too," Kurt blurted before thinking. Sure, it was true that he missed Blaine, but Kurt wasn't sure if he wanted Blaine to know just how much. Silence fell over them again, and this time it was Kurt's turn to speak. "How come you've never came to any of my shows?"

Kurt heard Blaine sigh on the other end of the phone... wherever that was. _"I live quite far away, Kurt. Flying to New York wasn't in my budget. Neither was a ticket to your show, for that matter."_

"But it is now?" Kurt asked defensively.

"_No, actually, it isn't. I'm not sure how I'm going to swing it." _

"Oh," Kurt chewed the inside of his lip, an old habit he thought he had gotten rid of years ago, "Well, I mean... if you can't afford it then don't come. I don't want you going broke just to see me sing. I did sing for you back at Dalton for free, and I still sound the same more or less."

"_No, you've grown up, Kurt."_ Blaine said simply, but it made Kurt's heart flutter. _"Plus, I want to see you on stage living your dream."_

"Yeah," Kurt scoffed, "my dream."

* * *

Blaine furrowed his brow. Kurt's tone of voice made it sound like he wanted to be doing something, anything, else with his life. Much to Blaine's surprise, it annoyed him. His Kurt would never want anything more then to be on Broadway. "You don't sound too happy," he spat the words out, his voice bitter, "for someone who has everything."

"_You think I have everything?" _Kurt demanded, _"Blaine you have no idea what my life is like here."_

"I know you're better off than a student trying to get through university on minimum wage."

"_Oh, __**please**__. Your family is loaded," _Kurt laughed bitterly and Blaine's anger boiled over. This was not his Kurt!

"Yeah, they are. Too bad they've practically disowned me."

"_What?"_

"My dad reached his boiling point five years ago. Apparently he came to get me that night we were lying on the lawn outside of the Windsor dorm, if you remember—"

"—_oh, I do,"_

"Yeah, well, when I got home that afternoon my bags were packed and my father had left a note telling me I was no longer a part of his family. At least, not until I was successful."

"_Oh, Blaine!" _Kurt sobbed. The sympathy in Kurt's voice made Blaine want to break down and tell the boy how much he still felt for him, but he held back, simply letting out a long sigh. _"Blaine, I'm so sorry."_

"Whatever, it's no big deal. Look, just... just save a seat for me okay? I'll find a way to afford it."

"_No."_ Kurt responded firmly, _"The tickets to my shows are ridiculously expensive. There is no way I'm letting you pay that price to see me on a stage with a bunch of sweaty people. Just get to New York, I'll figure the rest out."_

The line went dead and Blaine gaped at the phone in his hands. It had hit him that he had finally talked to Kurt... they had finally had a proper conversation after three years of nothing. Kurt seemed so different, though. He seemed tired, worn out maybe, but defiantly sad.

Blaine wandered over to his old computer, pressing the power button and sitting down heavily on the hard chair in front of his desk. It took ten minutes for his dinosaur of a computer to start up and yet another five for the internet to connect. He typed in the airline he always flew with, entering in the information they asked for. Blaine waited patiently for the page to load, and when it did his eyes bulged as he stared at the price of a one way trip to New York.

"Jesus," he cursed. How could the cheapest flight still be $500? More importantly, how the hell was he going to be able to afford this?

* * *

Kurt walked over to the phone that sat atop his kitchen counter, pressing one and holding the speaker to his ear.

"_Yes, Mr. Hummel?"_ The man asked.

"I need you to reserve a front row ticket to one of my shows. I don't care how you do it; bribe people with backstage passes if you must. Just get me that seat. Oh, and I'll need you to arrange a car to pick of a friend of mine from the airport when he arrives. He'll be staying with me for the time being."

"_When will this friend be arriving, sir?"_

"No idea. I'll call you when I know."


	3. Teenage Dream

_You make me  
Feel like  
I'm living a Teenage Dream  
The way you turn me on  
I can't sleep  
Let's runaway  
And don't ever look back  
Don't ever look back_

Blaine smiled brightly at the young boy in front of him. He was obviously from one of the schools competing against the Warblers at sectionals. Blaine had heard about the spy in the halls of Dalton and, along with the group of Windsor Warblers, he decided to put on a little show for him. What Blaine wasn't expecting was the gorgeous boy that now stood in the doorway of the Warblers hall.

_My heart stops  
When you look at me  
Just one touch  
Now baby I believe  
This is real  
So take a chance  
And don't ever look back  
Don't ever look back_

The boy was obviously blown away with their performance. Blaine's heart sped up at the way the boy's smile radiated warmth.

_No regrets, just love  
We can dance until we die  
You and I  
We'll be young fore—_

Blaine was rudely wakened by the sound of his ringtone, and it startled him so much he nearly fell off his bed. He looked down at his watch: midnight. He picked up the phone, "Hello?" Blaine's voice was thick with sleep, and you could hear his aggravation at being woken up from such a pleasant memory.

"_Hey, Blaine!"_

"...Kurt?" He questioned. It sounded like Kurt, but much more hyper then the last time they had spoken.

"_Yup! I just thought I'd call and ask about your flights!"_

"You sound, er, cheerful," Blaine said, trying to rub the sleep from his eyes.

"_I just got back from opening night, I think I'm still a bit high on the adrenaline."_

_Ah,_ Blaine thought, _such a true performer. _

"_So! Do you know when you're flying in?"_ Kurt pressed.

"Yeah, I'm flying in tomorrow," There was a pause, "Well, actually, I suppose it's today."

"_Wait, what time is your flight at?"_

"Noon."

"_Blaine!"_ Kurt gasped, _"What time is it for you?"_

"Uh, just past twelve."

"_What? Oh, Blaine you shouldn't have picked up! What were you thinking?" _Kurt lectured, his voice stern. Blaine groaned in response, wondering the same thing. _"I'm sorry for calling so late..." _Kurt's voice was softer now, sympathetic, _"I mean, it's only nine out here."_

"It's fine, Kurt, really. I need to pack anyway," Blaine said, trying to change the topic, "Oh, speaking of which. Er, how long am I staying?"

"_How long do you want to stay?"_ Kurt's voice asked.

"How long am I welcome?"

"_As long as you want. But at least a week, please. I want to spend time with you, and I can't do that if I'm either at a show or sleeping. We've got the weekend off."_

"I can stay a week, sure."

"_You sure it won't interfere with your studies?" _Kurt asked sceptically.

"Nah, my teacher should be cool with it if I just finish at least one painting."

"_Oh, well at least it's just one, then."_

"Yeah, too bad I've lost my touch."

"_What do you mean?"_ Kurt sounded worried.

"I can't paint anymore, Kurt. I haven't been able to finish anything for the past three years. I can't paint, write, sing, nothing."

"_What? But Blaine, you were so great!"_

"Yeah, I might've been then."

"_Maybe New York will inspire you?"_

"Maybe..."

"_Well, I'll let you go pack. I'll see you tomorrow. Look for your name on a sign at the airport; I'm getting someone to pick you up." _There was a click and the line went dead. Blaine thought about what Kurt said: _"Maybe New York will inspire you?"_ _Or,_ thought Blaine, _maybe you will. _

_

* * *

_

Blaine walked off the plane at the New York airport. _Shit,_ he thought, _I'm actually in New York._ He looked around for the sign with his name as Kurt had instructed him to, spotting it with a man dressed in a tuxedo.

"Er, hi," Blaine said awkwardly as he approached the man.

"Mr. Anderson?" Blaine nodded, "Welcome to New York, sir. Mr. Hummel is waiting for you at his condo downtown. Shall we go?" Blaine nodded again. He hadn't had a driver in so long and it felt strange returning to the rich lifestyle he once knew. The driver accompanied Blaine to the luggage pick-up and waited patiently with him as Blaine waited for his bags to appear. It took them about ten minutes to locate the bags before they were able to leave for the car.

When Blaine walked into the car park he saw one long, black limo. The driver, Blaine discovered his name was Randy, walked right towards it.

"Seriously?" Blaine asked in disbelief.

"Yes, sir. It's Mr. Hummel's favourite." Randy opened the door for Blaine, who slid in and looked around at the black leather seats. There was a cooler that held wine along with some boxes of expensive looking chocolate. Blaine rolled down his window. He wanted to see the city that never sleeps, he wanted to see the amazing architecture, but mainly he wanted to see where Kurt now called home.

Each building they passed seemed to hold some sort of expensive clothing store, or fancy restaurant, or a club. There had to be hundreds of people walking the streets, and even more posters advertising Grease.

"We will be arriving momentarily," Randy said over an intercom. Blaine felt his stomach knot at the anticipation of reuniting with Kurt after their five year absence from each other. Had Kurt changed? How? Was it for the better, or worse? Would Kurt still want to be around Blaine when he realized Blaine was no longer the cool and collected boy he knew in High School? What would Blaine do if Kurt _didn't _want to be around him? Each though made Blaine more and more nervous, and he was tempted to ask Randy to turn around and take him back to the airport. But before he had the chance he heard Randy's voice over the intercom.

"Mr. Anderson, we've arrived."


	4. New York

Kurt gulped as he looked at the clock, rubbing his hands together as he bounced nervously on the spot. He felt like such a lovesick teenager, but at that moment he could care less. Blaine would be arriving at any moment; he was allowed to be excited. He was in the middle of trying to picture Blaine now, when the phone on his countertop rang. He rushed over to pick it up, grabbing the receiver with shaking hands.

"Hello?"

"_Mr. Hummel, your guest has just entered the parking lot."_

The breath caught in Kurt's throat, his heart was beating so fast he felt it might break through his ribcage. He muttered a quick "thanks" and hung up. Kurt wanted so badly to sprint down to the lobby, but he found himself unable to move his legs. Kurt was terrified. He didn't know if he was scared of rejection or change... or maybe it was the never ending dread that Blaine had found someone better. All Kurt knew was that he couldn't move, even if he wanted to.

_C'mon Kurt!_ He told himself firmly, _Get yourself together. You're about to see Blaine. __Blaine__. Stop worrying! _Kurt smiled with a sigh, _You're about to see Blaine,_ he repeated. He held onto that thought and sprinted to his front door, yanking it open and running to the elevator. His heart was still beating fast, and there was still doubt in his mind, but he was overcome with excitement. He couldn't keep still as he continuously pressed the down arrow, waiting impatiently for the elevator to get there. When it finally arrived Kurt stepped in, pressing the button that took him to the lobby. With every floor Kurt's heartbeat quickened. His palms were clammy and he couldn't stand still. When the elevator dinged to signal his arrival in the lobby, Kurt jumped. When the door opened he saw a man with dark hair standing at the front desk. Kurt smiled, thinking it was Blaine, but upon closer inspection he noticed that the man had dark curls that fell wildly, not Blaine's slicked back, well controlled 'do. The employee behind the desk pointed in the direction of Kurt, and when the curly haired man turned, Kurt gasped loudly. Kurt could never forget the beautiful brown eyes he spent so long staring into, and he found himself once again loosing himself in their beauty. The man was definitely Blaine.

* * *

Blaine turned in the direction the kind employee was pointing, and he met a pair of beautiful blue-green eyes. Kurt had most definitely grown. He still had a slightly feminine face, but his features were more defined. He looked much older than Blaine remembered. They both stood there, in shock, for a good five minutes before the man behind the desk cleared his throat, it was at that point that Blaine started walking towards his ex-lover. Kurt approached him as well, and when he got close enough, Blaine pulled him into a tight hug before thinking about what he was doing.

"Hello, Kurt," He said quietly into Kurt's ear, his breath sending a shiver down Kurt's neck. When they pulled apart Blaine stood back just enough to be able to look at him from up close. Kurt's skin was flawless, aside from the odd freckle. He still had his long eyelashes, and his soft brown hair. But his eyes showed his maturity. Long gone was the insecurity and doubt, now replaced with confidence and passion. Kurt was no longer the uncomfortable boy he fell in love with on the grand staircase of Dalton academy, and Blaine was overcome with pride at just how much Kurt has grown.

"You look older," Blaine told him.

He watched Kurt lift his hand, raising it to Blaine's hair. Blaine could feel him as he played with one of his wild curls. "These are new."

"Yeah, I got tired of buying all that gel. Looks terrible, right?"

"I like it," Kurt was still playing with his hair, the both of them oblivious to their surroundings, "but I didn't recognize you until I saw your eyes."

"My eyes?"

"Yeah, they're not something that can be easily forgotten."

"Oh, really?" Blaine asked, raising an eyebrow. He watched as Kurt's face flustered like he had seen it do so many times before, and Kurt immediately stepped back a bit, looking at his feet.

"Er, I mean. Everyone's eyes are different, right?" Blaine chuckled and ruffled his hair, earning a glare from Kurt.

"Mr. Hummel?" Randy was now standing beside them, hands behind his back.

"Yes, Randy?"

"Blaine's luggage has been moved to your room, sir."

"Wonderful, thank you. C'mon Blaine!" It was Kurt who grabbed Blaine's hand, intertwining their fingers. A small smile spread across Blaine's face at the reversed roles as he got dragged into the elevator. Kurt pressed the twelfth button, and they began to move upwards.

* * *

Kurt knew that it was childish of him to grab Blaine's hand, but it didn't stop him from keeping their fingers intertwined all the way to the twelfth floor. The elevator trip was quiet, but the expected awkward silence was not there. They both seemed to be enjoying the presence of the other, nothing was going to break that joy. Well, except maybe Tia.

"I hope you don't mind that you're going to be staying in my apartment I ju—"

"—Kurt!" Suddenly Tia was flying at him. Kurt grabbed her, trying to keep his balance.

"Tia?" He asked, "Tia, what the hell are you doing here?"

"Well, I wanted to meet youri _friend/i_," She used air quotes around the word, "of course!"

Kurt cringed and Tia walked over to Blaine and planted a kiss on each of his cheeks.

"Hello, hunniepie," her voice was overly sweet, "how ya doin'?"

Kurt pinched the bridge of his nose. She thought Blaine was straight, didn't she?

"Er, I'm alright, uh..."

"Tia. I'm Tia. What's your name?"

"Blaine..."

"How interesting!" She said offhandedly as she led Blaine to the couch. "So how'd you meet Kurt? Were you a fan back when he was less popular?"

"Actually," Blaine said with a smile, "We dated in high school."

"Oh," the joy in Tia's voice faltered, but only for a moment. "Well that's cool! Why did you guys split?"

"Ah..." Kurt could tell that it was a bit of an awkward subject for Blaine, but he wanted to know what he thought of their breakup. "I don't really think we meant to. Kurt got discovered, we lost contact along the way. Our lives kept us apart."

"Wait, so you guys didn't _want_ to break up?" She asked.

"Well, I don't know about Kurt," Blaine caught Kurt's eye, holding the contact as he completed his sentence, "but I didn't, no."

"Awe, Kurt!" She squealed, "I can just imagine you too. Adorable little gay sweethearts."

"Er, yeah. So when are you leaving?" Kurt pressed. Blaine just arrived, he didn't want Tia scaring him off.

"_**Oh**_," Tia said with a smirk, "Oh, I see. Well then. I'll be leaving you two to your, ehem, business."

Kurt's eyes shot open, and Tia started to cackle. "Tia! Hey, that's not what I—" Kurt began, but she had already slammed the door.

"I'm sorry about her," Kurt said with a sigh, turning to Blaine. He had a huge smile on his face. Kurt looked at him sceptically. "What?"

* * *

Kurt looked absolutely adorable at that moment. He seemed so embarrassed that Tia had brought it up, and it reminded Blaine of the old Kurt. He wanted to laugh as Kurt glared at him, but Blaine attempted to stop himself from laughing as he answered. "Nothing. It's nothing."

Kurt raised one perfectly plucked eyebrow before walking over to the kitchen.

"Glasses are in here, plates here," he said, pointing to his cupboards, "you're not going to find any junk, so don't even try looking."

"Ah, still very healthy, I see."

"Blaine, I'm a Broadway performer, of course I am," Blaine laughed, walking over to where Kurt was. He had the sudden urge to just grab him and hold him like he's wanted to for the past five years, but Blaine stopped himself. Kurt and he are over, and they had been for a while now. "Your bedroom is just down that hall, on the left side."

"Alright."

"Wifi's free, don't worry. Uh, the TV's got loads of channels, there's some movies in there," he pointed to a cabinet beside the patio door, "Sadly I'm going to be busy for quite some time, so you'll have to keep yourself amused."

"Which show am I coming to see?" Blaine pressed excitedly.

"Tonight's."


	5. Summer Nights

Blaine looked in the mirror of the grand bathroom, nervously straightening his bow tie. He had gelled his hair back for the first time in over three years, and his hair felt strange. But he wanted to at least look presentable for Kurt's performance. With a sigh he turned away from the mirror. Getting his bow tie to sit straight was just an impossible cause, it seemed. He walked out to the living area of Kurt's flat and looked around. It was eerily quiet without Kurt around, and he still had a good fifteen minutes before he was supposed to go downstairs. Blaine saw a guitar resting against one of the walls. _Well, that wasn't here yesterday_, he thought, but went to go pick it up. It was definitely a nice guitar, and a very expensive one at that. Blaine moved over to the couch and sat down, his left hand naturally went to the neck of the guitar, and it felt so great to be holding it. Swallowing, Blaine tried to play the first couple chords of a song he had written in high school. He felt a giant weight lift from his chest when his playing actually sounded _good._ For so long he hadn't been able to play, and now... now that he was here he could play again. The fifteen minutes passed quickly, and Blaine jumped when the phone on the counter went off. He placed the guitar back where he found it, and ran to catch the phone.

"Hello?"

"_Mr. Anderson, the car has arrived."_

"Okay, thanks." Blaine placed the phone back in its holder and, as calmly as he could manage, walked out the door.

When Blaine walked out of the elevator he saw Randy waiting. "Hello, Randy." He said with a nod.

"How do you do, Mr. Anderson?"

"Honestly, Randy. Just call me Blaine."

"Ah, okay. Right this way Blaine." Randy said Blaine's name awkwardly as he led him through the sliding doors of the building and into the parking lot, where a limo was waiting for them. Randy opened the door, and Blaine slid in with a nod. He didn't know why but he was feeling quite nervous. It's not like Blaine was the one who was going to be on stage. He rubbed his hands together nervously as the limo began to move. Blaine realized he had no idea where they were going. He also realized that he didn't have a ticket.

"Er, Randy?" He called to the front.

"Yeah?"

"I don't have a ticket."

"I've got the ticket with me, sir. I will give it to you when we arrive."

"Ah… okay." Blaine looked out the window, his mind racing with thoughts and worries. What if he got kicked out? People would never believe him if he tried to tell them the truth. Kurt, oh Kurt. He'd be so disappointed if Blaine didn't show, though. So he sat quietly waiting for Randy to tell him they had arrived. Although Blaine wouldn't need to be told, not with all the screaming girls outside the theatre.

* * *

"Hey, Kurt. How ya doin'?" Kurt lifted his head from the makeup table, almost groaning when he saw Tia in her Sandy outfit. "Hey," she said, touching his shoulder, "you look nervous. You've never been nervous before. What's wrong, Kurt?"

Kurt let out an over dramatic sigh before adverting his gaze, "It's Blaine," he muttered under his breath.

"Kurt, sweetie, you're going to have to speak up a bit."

"It's Blaine," Kurt said a little louder.

"I still can't—"

"_It's Blaine!"_ Kurt all but screamed at her, "I don't want to disappoint him, and he's… he's coming tonight and I…" Suddenly he found himself unable to talk.

"He'll love you, Kurt. Well, he'll love you _more_." Tia encouraged with a giggle, "You two are so adorable together, you know."

With a forced laugh and a roll of his eyes, Kurt responded, "We're not together, Tia. Not anymore."

She waved it off carelessly, "Same difference. The point is, Kurt, that he will love you. You look amazing, you sound amazing. Just don't let it bother you. Just remember how far you've come! Lima to New York, right?"

Kurt couldn't help but smile. Even though she was a ditz, Tia had her moments.

* * *

The applauding subsided and Blaine looked eagerly to the stage. Kurt was playing Danny well, and his small frame wasn't taking away from the macho façade that Danny held throughout the play. The range of Kurt's voice still amazed Blaine as he hit the low notes of the songs.

As a hush fell over the crowd, the lights on the stage fell. Two spotlights appeared, one highlighting Kurt on a staircase to Blaine's left, the other focused on Tia sitting at a picnic table. Kurt began to sing.

_Summer lovin' _

_Had me a blast_

Blaine shifted his gaze over to Tia, who began singing Sandy's part, her voice sounding just above average next to the beauty of Kurt's voice.

_Summer lovin' _

_Happens so fast_

Blaine's eyes wandered back to Kurt, waiting for his upcoming lines.

_Met a girl_

_Crazy for me_

Tia's voice once again came forward, but Blaine kept his gaze on Kurt.

_Met a boy_

_Cute as can be_

Their voices combined for the chorus, creating a surprisingly nice melody.

_Summer days_

_Drifting away to the, ah ho_

_The summer nights_

The people crowing around the two people began the background vocals as the stage lights came on. Kurt began Danny's traditional Broadway staircase dance, which was a very bouncy but less extravagant version of 'the sprinkler', but with a touch of Kurt in it. A blush crept up Blaine's cheeks at the scene in front of him. The boys around Kurt began to sing their part.

_Tell me more, tell me more_

_Did ya get very far?_

The girls around Tia chimed in, echoing the boys.

_Tell me more, tell me more_

_Like does he have a car?_

The two groups harmonized as Kurt, and his group, walked closer to center stage. Kurt bent at the knees, pointing to the audience in turn, giving Blaine an extra long look as he sang.

_She swam by me_

_She get a cramp_

Tia walked to the front of the picnic table, spinning to face the audience with a dreamy look on her face.

_He ran by me_

_Got my suit damp_

When Blaine looked back to Kurt he had his arms around the group of guys, a cocky smile on his face.

_I saved her life_

_She nearly drowned _

Tia jumped onto the picnic table, swinging her legs over the edge.

_He showed off_

_Splashing around_

The girls began to sway as the boys did the classic 80's knee-bend hop.

_Summer sun_

_Something's began_

_But uh-oh those summer nights_

The ladies sang again, all leaning towards Tia, huge smiled on their faces.

_Tell me more, tell me more_

_Was it love at first sight?_

Blaine's eyes went back to Kurt, who was still standing in the middle of the guys, cocky grin in place a they hit him on the back lightly.

_Tell me more, tell me more_

_Did she put up a fight?_

Danny stepped away from the group, moving upstage again as he sang his next lines. Instead of the cocky grin you saw a genuine smile on his face. Blaine marvelled at Kurt's ability to make it appear like he was reminiscing.

_Took her bowling_

_In the arcade_

Tia also walked forward, though her expression was not nearly as convincing. Though Blaine had to admit he was probably a bit biased, and Tia _was_ quite good.

_We went strolling_

_Drank lemonade_

Kurt moved back towards the Thunderbirds and Blaine could see him switch his attitude just as Danny did in the original Broadway production.

_We made out under the dock_

Tia also walked towards the Pink Ladies, though he character did not change.

_We stayed out_

'_Till ten o'clock_

Their voices combined again as the two groups around them leaned closer.

_Summer fling_

_Don't mean a thing _

_But uh-oh those summer nights_

The Thunderbirds started again, their voices annoying as ever, very in character.

_Tell me more, tell me more_

_But you don't gotta brag!_

The Pink Ladies bugged Sandy, the girl playing Rizzo pulling off her character perfectly.

_Tell me more, tell me more_

_Cos he sounds like a drag_

Everyone joined together for a series of shoo-bop-bop's, Sandy and Danny moving away from the crows again as they got into the more gushy memories.

_He got friendly_

_Holding me hand_

_Well she was good_

_You know what I mean_

_(Woah!)_

_Summer heat_

_Boy and girl meet_

_But uh-oh those summer nights_

As the Pink Ladies once again chimed in the moment was lost.

_Tell me more, tell me more_

_How much did he spend?_

_Tell me more, tell me more_

_Could she get me a friend?_

Tia got off the table she had sat on, gazing into the audience as she walked forward.

_It turned colder_

_That's where it ends_

Hands in his pockets, Kurt also walked forward, though he was holding Blaine's gaze.

_So I told her_

_We'd still be friends_

Tia walked straight to center stage, touching her heart gently as she smiled.

_Then we made_

_Our true love vow_

Kurt moved even closer to center stage, staring at Blaine still.

_Wonder what _

_She's doing now_

The music quieted so it was just the piano being heard as Tia and Kurt sang the last two lines.

_Summer dreams_

_Ripped at the seams_

_Bu-ut, those su-umer nights_

Their voices drifted into the silence, accompanied by the background vocals of the two groups. The audience burst into applause and Blaine smiled broadly. Kurt was amazing.

* * *

A/N Sorry about the wait on this chapter! And I realize there's not much to it, seeing it's mainly a musical number, but I am horrid with writing those, so I just wanted to get this out of the way. I promise the next chapter(s) will be better. :D

Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing!


	6. Flashback

**A/N:** Wow, er... this didn't go how I suspected at _all._ I mean, I saw _Blame it on the Alcohol_ and it changed me whole plan for this scene. So, er, unexpected maybe not very good random-ish chapter? I hope you enjoy none the less, and thank you so much for reading. No, really, you are all so amazing. I really appreciate all the wonderful reviews, too! :D

* * *

**6. Flashback**

**

* * *

**The lights of the stage dimmed as the audience applauded loudly. Another successful show, Kurt concluded. As soon as the curtain went down Tia grabbed Kurt, pulling him into one of the tightest hugs he'd ever experienced.

"Aw, Kurt! You did _amazingly_ tonight!" She exclaimed quietly as she let go. Her hands lingered on Kurt's shoulders and he knew she wanted to say more. He raised an eyebrow to tell her to continue. "I know you two broke up ages ago, and everything, but Kurt…" Tia lowered her voice and leaned closer to him, "You cannot tell me you don't still have feelings for him, no matter how long you've spent trying to get rid of them. Not after that performance."

"No, Tia. I don't. Honestly he's just—" Kurt began, but all Tia had to do was glance at him and he sighed, giving in. "Okay, I may like him a little," He could tell Tia was about to start on one of her high-pitched rants about him finding true love, so Kurt hurried to continue, "But seriously, Tia, just let it drop. We had our… er, "romance" I suppose. I just want Blaine as a _friend._"

Kurt saw her mouth open in protest but she was, thankfully, interrupted by Kurt's security guard, "Excuse me, Mr. Hummel?"

"Yeah…?"

"Mr. Anderson is asking for permission to come backstage to see you."

"Let him in, of course!" Kurt exclaimed loudly, forcing Tia into a fit of giggles. Kurt almost didn't want to know what was going on in her mind. He shot her a glare before walking closer to the entrance of the stage. Kurt watched the doorway nervously, not quite sure if he was ready to face Blaine or not. What if he didn't enjoy it? If he was honest with himself, Kurt thought he would probably play Sandy better. All thoughts were erased from his mind when Blaine entered the room, however. All Kurt could focus on was how _great_ Blaine looked. Blaine was wearing a grey suit that clung to his body in all the right places, emphasizing his great arms and stomach. He wore a bowtie, which separated him from most of the men that had come to see the performance. What shocked Kurt most, though, was the fact that he had gelled is hair back again. Oh, and the single red rose he was carrying in his left hand.

"Hey, Kurt," Blaine said quietly with a smile, moving in to kiss him on the cheek as he handed Kurt the rose, which thankfully didn't have any thorns.

Kurt couldn't stop the blush that spread up his neck as Blaine pulled back, so he tried to cover it with conversation, "Hi Blaine. Oh, this is nice. Thank you. Did you enjoy the performance? Tia seems to think it went well, but I don't know…"

Blaine's throaty chuckle rang through Kurt's ears, "You were amazing; the whole cast was, but you were especially great."

"Ah… thanks," Kurt replied shyly. His face was starting to itch from the stage makeup, and he took that as an excuse to get away before the whole crew saw how embarrassed he was.

* * *

Blaine coughed uncomfortably as he watched Kurt's retreating back.

"You can go after him, you know," Came Tia's voice from behind him.

"I'm sure he wants to be alone, get his makeup off and stuff…"

"From what I hear, he's got n o problem with _you_ seeing him like that," Blaine stared blankly at her. What on earth was she talking about? "Just go, Blaine," she urged with a roll of her eyes.

With a quick nod he headed after Kurt. His dressing room was at the end of one of the long hallways near the back of the theatre, Kurt's room marked by gold lettering reading 'Kurt E. Hummel'. Blaine paused, about to knock, as he heard Kurt singing quietly.

_Don't you want me, baby?_

_Don't you want me, oooh. _

_Don't you want me, baby? _

_Don't you want me, oooh._

Blaine's memories suddenly clouded his eyes, bringing him back to his junior year, his first year knowing Kurt.

"_Blaine Warbler, I'm going to rock your world," Rachel's drunken voice said as she leaned in and grabbed him by the shirt and pulling him forward so their lips crashed together. Blaine felt strangely into the kiss. He reached up to cup Rachel's face, barely aware of the cat-calls from the New Directions, and the false laughter from Kurt that would haunt him later. _

"_Your face… tastes awesome," Rachel whispered as she pulled away, they shared a look of confusion before Rachel turned to the small circle of Glee clubbers', "I think I found my new duet partner!"_

Blaine tried to shake the memory. That part may've been… well, enjoyable, but the days after that were far from it.

"_Are you kidding? You spent the entire night sucking Rachel Berry's face. That, sir, is what we call rock bottom," Kurt said through forced laughter. Blaine was about to reply when he felt his phone vibrate from within his blazer pocket. _

"_Ah, speak of the devil," It was Rachel calling, and for some reason that excited him, "Hi, Rachel! Kurt and I were __**just**__ talking about you."_

"_You're such a cutie pie with your blazer and your pants," She said in what Blaine assumed to be her version of a seductive tone. He glanced at Kurt as she began to speak again, grabbing his Medium Drip from the counter. "So, I have a question for you. I wanted to know—"_

"_Is she drunk?" Kurt intercepted, but Blaine gave him a stern look and shushed at him before listening further. _

"_Would you like to you out tomorrow night?" _

"_Um, yeah. Alright, I'll see you then."_

"_Great! Bye, Blaine."_

"_Okay, Bye." Blaine pressed the 'End' button on his phone as he sat down, "Rachel just asked me out," He told Kurt with a laugh. _

"_Oh, that's amazing! She's got a girl crush on you!" _

_As he walked over to the counter that held the sugar Blaine heard Kurt's laughter stop. Apparently he was catching on. _

"_Wait a second, why'd you say yes? You can't lead her on…"_

"_Who says I'm leading her on?" He replied with a shrug. And he wasn't. As much as it confused Blaine to admit, he enjoyed the drunken kiss they shared. _

"_You can't be serious."_

"_We kissed, it felt good."_

"_It felt good because you were drunk." Kurt informed him defensively. Blaine could almost feel the anger beginning to rise through the boy. _

"_What's the harm in one petty little date?" Blaine tried to keep the mood light-hearted, but Kurt wasn't having it. _

"_You're __**gay**__, Blaine."_

"_I-I thought I was… but," He began to stumble over his words, and he wasn't even sure how to begin to explain the whole thing to Kurt seeing that he hadn't even figured it out yet. Why was Kurt so concerned about it, though? "I've never even had a boyfriend before. Isn't this the time you're supposed to… figure this stuff out?" _

"_I can't believe I'm hearing this right now," Blaine heard Kurt mutter, and he felt a pang in his chest. _

"_Maybe I'm bi, I dunno…" He said weakly. _

"_Bisexual is a term that gay guys in high school will use when they wanna hold hands with girls and feel like a normal person for a change." Kurt spat at him. _

"_Woah, woah, woah. Why are you so angry?" Just keep your strong persona, Blaine, he couldn't help but think to himself. _

"_Because I look up to you! I admire how proud you are of who you are. I know what it's like to be in the closet and here you are about to tip-toe back in." _

_Blaine rolled his eyes, Kurt was making this about him. Again. _

"_I'm really sorry if this hurts your feelings, or your pride, or whatever, but however confusing this may be for you, it's actually a lot more confusing for me. You're 100% sure of who you are, fantastic. Well, maybe we all can't be so lucky." Blaine could feel that stinging behind his eyes again so he grabbed his coffee cup and opened it, refusing to make eye contact with Kurt. He was not going to cry. _

"_Yeah, I've had a lot of luck, Blaine. I mean I was really lucky to be chased out of high school by a bully who threatened to kill me."_

"_And why did he do that?"_

"_Because he didn't like who I was."_

_Blaine didn't even give Kurt time to get his last word out before he started bitterly on his argument. "So, exactly what you're saying to me right now, isn't it?" Kurt cocked his head to the side, squinting at Blaine through eyes that held tears. "I am… I'm searching, okay? I'm honestly just trying to figure out who I am. And for you of __**all people**__ to get down on me for that?" Blaine flinched at the change in octave as he tried to hold back his own emotions, "I didn't think that's who you were." Blaine gave Kurt one last pleading look before standing up and grabbing his scarf and bag from the back of his chair. "I'll see ya," He couldn't stop himself from turning back again to Kurt, his voice now filled with sarcasm and anger, "I'd say bye, but I wouldn't want to make you angry." And with that he walked out of the room and away from Kurt, refusing to look back. _

_

* * *

_Deciding that he was presentable, and calmed down enough, Kurt walked to the door of his dressing room and swung it open. He didn't expect to see Blaine standing there with his hand in mid-air as if he was about to knock. Kurt waited for the awkward laughter that would usually follow after something like this happened, but when it didn't Kurt looked at Blaine properly. His eyes were clouded over and he seemed to be in some sort of deep thought.

"Blaine?" Kurt asked as he touched his shoulder gently.

"Huh?"

"You okay? You were just, er… standing here."

"Oh, uh, yeah. I'm fine. Just had a bit of a flashback." Blaine laughed bitterly and Kurt gazed at him, eyes full of concern.

"What brought it on?" Kurt pressed as he stepped back and invited Blaine into his dressing room.

"I, uh, I heard you singing _Don't You Want Me_. Reminded me of Rachel's party way back when."

"Oh," Kurt's voice dropped at least two octaves at the memory. Rachel's party… their argument. Lovely.

"Yeah… That was a, er… interesting experience."

"I was horrible to you about that. Not to mention I must have seemed like such a hypocrite."  
"How?"

"Well, I experiment too, remember?" When Blaine raised an eyebrow Kurt realized that it was one detail he had never told Blaine. He had been too embarrassed.

"I don't recall you mentioning it, no."

Kurt didn't bother to wait for Blaine to ask the inevitable question, starting in on the story instead, "Yeah, I… I was still half in the closet to my dad, or so I thought, and suddenly he was spending all this time with Finn. I got jealous and thought that maybe if I acted more like my dad he'd want to spend time with me again. Not only was I wrong, but I made myself look like a complete idiot."

"What did you _do_?"

"Well, I traded in my extremely fashionable wardrobe for my dad's baggy-jeans-with-a-lumberjack-shirt look, among… other things."

Kurt was sure if Blaine had been drinking something he would've spit it all out, "Baggy jeans? _Lumberjack shirt? _You're lying."

"I wish. I never felt so stupid as I did when I found out that everything, and trust me when I say _everything_, I did made absolutely no difference."

"But you didn't practically _make out_ with a girl."

"No, you're right. I did much worse. I made out with a girl I knew I didn't like. And _I_ was completely sober."

"What? No way… Who?" Blaine couldn't help but ask, it was too tempting. And finding out Kurt wasn't always as confident in himself as he was now was strangely comforting.

"Brittany," He heard him mutter under his voice.

"Seriously?"

"Seriously." The room was silent for a couple minutes before, out of no where, Kurt started to laugh.

"Look at us Blaine," He said through giggles, "it's just like old times, and I'm not even going to try and lie about this: it feels _great_."


	7. I Used To Be Love Drunk

**A/N:** I officially give up on trying to actually plan out these stories before I write them, because the characters just don't listen.

Please don't shoot me fore the OC in here, I _honestly_ don't know where he came from. He just sort of... pranced in and stuff happened. I hope you enjoy this chapter, and I promise they'll start to get longer as we progress through the story.

I really appreciate all the lovely reviews that you guys have left, and thank you so much for the support!

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**7. I Used To Be Love Drunk  
**

* * *

Kurt had shooed Blaine out of his dressing room after their heart-to-heart, following close behind. He had promised his manager, Johnathan, that he would attend the after party that was being held at one of the clubs down the street from the theatre. Kurt honestly hated these parties, and he was completely prepared to decline when John told him he was allowed to bring a guest. The idea of Blaine being by him made the whole idea more appealing.

"So, Blaine," Kurt said offhandedly as they walked down the hall and back into the now-quiet theatre.

"Yeah?" Blaine asked as he raised an eyebrow.

"Would you like to, by any chance, come to an after party with me?"

"Uh…"

"I mean, I get it if parties aren't really your thing," Kurt rambled, "I mean, they aren't my thing either. I hate them, actually. But, I promised Johnathan that I'd go to this one. I totally get it if you don't want to come so, yeah I'll just—"

"Kurt?" Blaine finally intercepted, "I'd love to come along."

* * *

When Kurt walked into the dark club he instantly felt uncomfortable. Ever since the Bambi incident, and Rachel's party, alcohol was a turn-off for Kurt. When he felt the warmth of Blaine's hand on the small of his back, he felt a bit more sure of himself and walked forward, into the crowd of dancing people and the blaring music.

As soon as Kurt was spotted, he was pulled into the crowd, and people swarmed him like bees to honey. Blaine instantly lost sight of him as he was pushed backwards. With a huff he pushed his way back through the crowd. When he started to approach the middle he noticed that there were little to no girls, and instead many taller males. Kurt stood in the very center with… Blaine gasped audibly. A tall man stood behind Kurt, his arms wrapped tightly around the short boys' waist. He was bent over and he was whispering in Kurt's ear. Blaine had no idea what was being said, but judging from how badly Kurt was blushing… it had to be something inappropriate. Blaine couldn't help but feel angry. He hadn't seen Kurt blush that much since Burt had walked in on them during a particularly steamy make out session on Kurt's bed. Blaine shook his head angrily as he turned and made his way back through the crowd and towards the door. He was not about to think about that. No way in hell. He had been trying too hard for too long to put Kurt behind him, trying to forget the way Kurt had made him feel since that first day on the grand staircase of Dalton… Blaine burst through the door of the club and ran down the street. The cold air felt so great on his face, and running helped him clear his head so Blaine kept running. It was dark and he had no idea where he was going. All he knew was that he needed to get far away from Kurt.

When Blaine reached an empty park he sat down heavily on the grass, letting his head fall into his hands. What the hell did Blaine think he was doing? It took him a year to get over the heart-wrenching pain Kurt had caused when they lost contact, and he promised himself then that he would forget about Kurt completely. What the _hell_ was he doing here? He was just setting himself up for the same pain, the same rejection he only just got over. Who the hell was he kidding? Blaine _knew_ he couldn't just be friends with Kurt, and it was time he admitted to himself that yes, he was still horribly and painfully in love with the taller boy. _Well,_ Blaine thought, _I guess it's time to get the hell out before something bad happens._

_

* * *

_"Hey, baby," Kurt felt arms curl around his waist as he was pulled closer to the taller man behind him. Kurt could feel his hot breath on his neck. He could barely hear the deep voice over the pounding music of the club, "You looked really hot today on stage. Took all my strength not to hop up and—"

"Okay," Kurt squeaked as he felt his cheeks get hot, and he knew a deep blush was now painting his face. He could feel the vibrations of laughter through his back as they stood pressed tightly together.

"Let's get out of here, baby," His voice was husky and lust filled in Kurt's ear, and Kurt could feel his knees go weak, glad that he had the support of the man's arms around his waist.

Kurt turned around so he was pressed chest-to-chest with him, looking up into the beautiful brown eyes of his lover. "Just give me an hour to make sure that my guest is aware that you'll be coming over, okay?"

Kurt was pulled even closer to the man as he snuggled his face into Kurt's neck, "I suppose that's okay, as long as you'll let me take you wherever I want afterwards."

Kurt blushed even more, which he didn't think was possible, but nodded. The arms around his waist disappeared and his hand was grabbed instead as he was led out of the club. When he was safely at his limo the man gave him a slow, sloppy kiss on the lips. Kurt told the limo driver to take him back to the flat as quickly as possible. When he arrived he walked to the elevator, not bothering to say hello to the front-desk worker. When he opened the door to his flat he called Blaine's name loudly. When he got no response, Kurt walked towards Blaine's room. Maybe he'd fallen asleep or something. With a knock, Kurt opened the door a crack and slipped his head in. The bed was unmade, but empty. Kurt pushed the door open all the way and looked around. _Wow_ Blaine was a _slob._ But what caught Kurt's eye was the painting sitting on an easel near the window. Kurt was drawn towards it, and as he got closer he saw all the tiny details, and that it was unfinished. No one had ever painted a more beautiful picture of the New York Skyline. Not that Kurt had seen. Out of the corner of his eye Kurt saw a sketchbook open on the bed. He bit his lip, knowing that this was snooping and that was kind of, er, creepy of him, but he couldn't help but move towards it. Kurt gasped when he saw… himself. He squinted at the picture and picked it up gently, afraid to touch it but yet so drawn in. Sure enough it was like looking in a mirror… except for the eyes. The eyes of the sketch were unfilled, but it was obvious that he had tried more than once, eraser marks and dents were the pencil had been pressed too hard. Kurt bit his lip, curiosity tugging at him. He gave in and flipped through the rest of the sketchbook. Each page had the same thing: him. There were various different poses and emotions and each and every one was missing the eyes, the same eraser marks evident.

Kurt jumped when he heard the doorbell ring and glanced at the digital clock that sat on Blaine's bedside table. How did an hour pass? With a shake of his head, he placed Blaine's sketchbook back on his bed and walked out the door, taking care to close it. When he opened the door to his apartment he looked up and into the beautiful brown eyes that never failed to leave him breathless. He reached up and threaded his hands into the taller boys short and curly dirty brown locks, pulling him inside as their lips crashed together. Kurt dragged him backwards, in the direction of the couch, feeling as he smiled. They landed on the couch heavily with their lips still pressed tightly together, neither taking a care to the fact that the door was still unlocked. Kurt couldn't help but moan as felt a tongue slide across his bottom lip. He gladly opened his mouth as their kiss deepened. Hands were roaming Kurt's body, touching him in all the right places. He whimpered when the lips pulled away.

"Enjoying yourself?" He asked as he liked at Kurt's earlobe.

"Mm, Blaine," Kurt sighed. The man stopped instantly and Kurt gave a whine of displeasure, "Why'd you stop?"

"You said _his_ name again, Kurt," He spat at the smaller boy beneath him, "it's kind of a boner-killer."

Kurt reached up to touch his cheek, a perfectly practiced sad smile in place, "I'm sorry, can we try again?"

With a sigh he brought his lips back down to grant the boy his wish, both of them quickly forgetting the incident when the touching started again.

* * *

Blaine walked the short distance from the elevator to Kurt's flat as slowly as he could. He felt horrible, and he just wanted to sleep. He reached for the doorknob and tried to open it; it was unlocked. Strange. Blaine quietly pushed the door open and stepped into the living area. He heard the moans a second too late, and was forced to look to the couch.

"Oh," Kurt moaned as the dirty-blonde boy above him kissed his neck, "No, no you can't give me a hickey. I have to perform."

Blaine wanted to look away from the scene in front of him. He wanted to close his eyes and run as far away as he could, or he wanted to run to the nearest bathroom and be sick. Blaine chose the latter.

As he emptied the contents of his stomach into the toilet he tried to erase the image of his innocent Kurt sprawled on the couch like a… well, like a slut!

_He's not yours anymore, Blaine. And apparently he's not as innocent as you thought._

"Who the fuck are you?" Came an angry voice from the doorway of the bathroom. Blaine tried to suppress a groan. The blonde. Great. He stood on shaking legs and flushed the toilet, rinsing his mouth out in the sink quickly before standing up and looking up, _Wow, way up_, to look the taller man in the eye.

"I'm a friend of Kurt's," Blaine said as calmly as he could manage.

"Is that so?" The man asked with a raise of his eyebrow. He grabbed Blaine's shirt roughly and dragged him into the living room. When he laid his eyes on Kurt, Blaine wanted to run right back into the bathroom. He could tell that Kurt was doing a lot more than he had originally thought. His shirt was haphazardly done up, buttons in the wrong holes, and his hair a complete mess. He was still red and his breathing was uneven. What really got Blaine, though, was the fact that his pants were fully undone.

"Blaine?" Kurt squeaked.

"Uh, hey. Sorry about, er, intruding. I didn't know you were going to have… company over."

The hold on Blaine's shirt tightened, "What was your name?" The man asked through clenched teeth as he turned to fully look at Blaine.

"B-Blaine…" He winced as he was pushed roughly into the nearest wall, the man's arm pressing tightly against his throat as he held him elevated above the floor.

"_You're_ Blaine?" He demanded, and Blaine merely nodded, his eyes wide with fear.

Suddenly Kurt was beside them, his delicate hands trying to pry the arm from Blaine's neck.

"Stop!" He shouted, "_Let him go or I will call the god damn police."_


	8. Too Late To Appologize

**A/N: **Ooookay. Another angst-filled chapter. Geez it's depressing to write this stuff. This is also where the "T" rating comes from, for mild language. (They've grown up, I believe they would swear if they were angry at this age). Please, _pease_ don't kill me fore the end of this chapter. I _promise_ things will get better soon. Most likely. Hopefully. (** *YOUTOOBLAINE.*)

* * *

**8. Too Late To Appologize**

**

* * *

**Blaine continued to stare at the blonde in front of him, his eyes wide with fear. The man glanced at Kurt and his face softened a bit. He removed his arm from Blaine's throat, and Blaine sighed in relief. He was about to run to his room when a he noticed that blonde's fist heading in his direction, but Blaine moved a moment too late and the man's fist made contact with his right eye. Blaine could hear Kurt scream something, but he sounded so far away. He fell back against the wall, sliding down it before everything went black.

* * *

When he came to, Blaine found himself lying down. The hardness of the wall and floor replaced by soft. He was on a couch, Blaine realized. His vision was fuzzy, but Blaine could make out a face above him.

"…Kurt?"

"Oh, Blaine, you're awake! Good, I was starting to panic," Kurt's hand was suddenly on his forehead, and Blaine couldn't stop himself from flinching away. He really didn't want Kurt's hands on him. Not when they'd been all over _that man_ before. Blaine sat up quickly, looking around the room for the tall blonde. When he realized he was nowhere to be found, Blaine turned to Kurt again.

"How long?" He asked darkly.

"You were out for a good five minutes. That's why I was panicking, I mean five minutes can't be good, ca—"

"No, Kurt. _How long?_"

Kurt's confusion was blaringly obvious on his face as he attempted to move closer to Blaine, who just scooted farther down the couch. "I… I don't get what you're asking, Blaine."

"How long have you been with him?" Blaine spat with a scowl. He didn't want to play these games with Kurt anymore.

"Uh… two months…"

"I thought you said you were single." Blaine said, his voice gradually getting louder as he stopped fighting his anger, his jealousy.

"I never said that…" Kurt's voice was weak and he was cowering back into the couch.

"You never said you _were_, though!"

Something seemed to snap in Kurt and he stood up. Blaine couldn't tell if Kurt's face was red from anger or embarrassment. "Why does it _matter_, Blaine? My personal life stopped being your business _five years_ ago!"

As Blaine stood up he thanked the heavens that he didn't fall back over, though he saw spots of white fill his vision. "It kind of is when your '_boyfriend'_" Blaine laced the word with as much hatred and disapproval as was physically possible, "tries to fucking kill me!"

"He wasn't trying to kill you! Jesus, Blaine. So he's a little _protective_, big deal!"

They were shouting so loudly at each other that Blaine was sure half of New York could hear them by now. "Protective is one thing, Kurt. He's fucking _insane._"

"No, he's not!" Kurt shouted with tears in his eyes. Under normal circumstances it would crush Blaine to see Kurt like this. "Ellington was just trying to make sure you weren't some creepy fan! It's not like you entered _gracefully_, or anyt—"

"Wait, _Ellington?_" Blaine asked with a snort, "Seriously?"

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Kurt shook his head. "Don't even try to change the subject!"

"Wow, okay. Sorry _princess_." Blaine responded with a roll of his eyes.

"_Princess?"_ Kurt demanded, his voice at least an octave higher than usual, "I am not a fucking _princess_."

"Well you sure are acting like one. Jesus have you changed Kurt. And to be frank? It's for the worse. You may think you're so hot now that you're on Broadway, but you need to _get over yourself_, because I hate to brake it to you, but there are some people that are just _better than you._"

"_Excuse_ me?"

"Oh, you're excused. Now, if _you'll _excuse _me,_ I'm going to my room," Blaine turned in the direction of the hallway but paused and glanced back over his shoulder, "Oh, I'm sorry. Do you require my services, _princess_?"

Blaine didn't wait for an answer, heading straight for the comfort of his own room instead of continuing the pointless argument that had no winner. Once he was safely inside with the door locked, Blaine threw himself onto the unmade bed. This idea was going horribly. He numbly felt a pain in his hipbone and wondered for a moment what it was. _Oh right,_ Blaine remembered, _sketchbook._ He brought his knees to his chest, pulling the book up with him. _Hm, it's open to a different page_. Blaine noticed briefly before falling into an exhausted slumber.

* * *

Kurt fell to the couch as soon as Blaine entered his room, a small sob escaping his lips as he pulled his knees to his chest. Everything Blaine had said in their argument had hit Kurt harder than a slap to the face, but he couldn't help but feel that each and every comment was true.

"I'm a horrible person." Kurt mumbled into the couch.

"Oh, Kurt. You are not." Kurt looked up so quickly he felt his neck crack.

"Tia?" He croaked.

"Oh, Kurt sweetie. What _happened_?" She sat down beside him and touched his cheek. Kurt was reminded of Carol and he felt a pang in his heart. He missed his family, why did he let himself loose contact with them? "Kurt?" She prodded softly.

"Blaine… Blaine walked in on Ellington and I…" He coughed awkwardly, "More than making out."

"Ellington? Is this someone you met at the club tonight?"

"No… I've been dating him for a while."

"Oh…"

"I wanted to tell you, Tia, but you've _seen_ pictures of Blaine. I couldn't do it."

Her brows furrowed in confusion, "What does Blaine have to do with it, sweetie? I mean, aside from him walking in on you guys."

"Oh, Tia, I'm such an idiot!" Kurt whined as he buried his face into one of the couch cushions.

"Well, honey, if you'd explain maybe I could help a bit."

"No, I've already made a mistake and I'm going to end up hurting at least one person thanks to it. And myself."

"Okay, Kurt," The cooing tone Tia was using before was gone, replaced by a stern and demanding voice, "you need to tell me what's going on now."

"I'." Kurt said quickly, his voice muffled even more by the couch cushion.

"Pardon?"

"I'm only dating Ellington because he reminds me of Blaine!"

"…Oh."

With a groan Kurt pulled his knees tighter, closing his eyes as he tried to get rid of the nagging pain in his chest and the tears threatening to fall. "I feel like such a horrible person."

"Well, if it's just personality similarities it's really not that big of a deal. It's just you're type of—" Tia paused when she noticed Kurt blush and burry his head into his knees, "—Kurt, it _is_ just his personality, right?"

"No," Kurt admitted guiltily, "He looks a lot like him, too. But tall. And blonde. And he's kind of a jerk."

"Kurt, _why_?" Tia asked after a couple minutes of silence. Kurt couldn't stop the tears anymore as they fell freely.

"I-I don't know, Tia! I-I just… I just… I couldn't get over him! And then… then E-Ellington came along and he just… he reminded me so much of Blaine! B-but I never saw Ellington during the, er, sexual parts of our relationship, and I was… I was always calling out _Blaine's_ name… and then he walked in on us today… and when Ellington found out it was him he… he _punched_ him and I… I kicked him out. Jesus, Tia, I can't do _anything_ right when it comes to Blaine." Kurt continued to cry, and Tia just rubbed circles in his back as she tried to comfort him. In less than ten minutes Kurt was out cold.

"Oh, you poor baby," Tia whispered.

"Kurt!" Blaine shouted as he walked into the living room. Tia looked quickly to Kurt, who merely shifted in his sleep.

"Blaine _shut up_!" She hissed, "Let the poor boy sleep."

"Whatever. Just tell the _princess_ that I'll be back to pick my stuff up tomorrow. Then I'll be out of his perfectly styled hair.

"What?"

"Obviously it's not working here, Tia. And frankly, I don't see why it should've. It was stupid of us, trying to be friends again. We had our time, and I can't sit here and be forced to look at this Kurt. I want to hold onto the Kurt I used to know, the Kurt I loved. I want to remember _my_ Kurt, not Ellington's."

"So you're going to run, Blaine? You're just going to run away because one little thing went wrong? What happened to _Courage_?"

* * *

Blaine had stormed out of Kurt's apartment. Tia sure did have some _nerve, _bringing up his past like that. Blaine had no idea where he was going, nor what he was doing when he walked out of the building and into the cold night air. All he knew was he needed somewhere to escape to, maybe let his anger out if possible. As he passed all the clubs he started to consider something. Blaine chose one of the less populated clubs and walked in. No live band. Perfect. He walked over to the bar and called over one of the bar tenders.

"How can I help you, kid?"

"Would there be any chance I could speak to the owner of this place?" Blaine asked. He was bouncing a bit on the balls of his feet, and he knew it made him seem childish, but he felt so nervous and excited.

"That'd be me. What do you need?"

"I was wondering if there was any possibility that I could borrow your stage. Just for one song?"

"Yeah, I've got no problem with it. You might get booed off the stage though."

"Okay, thanks!" Blaine said, ignoring the last half of the old man's comment. He wouldn't think about that possibility right now. When he got on stage he picked up one of the really crappy electric guitars and played a few chords. _Out of tune,_ Blaine thought,_ why did I see that coming?_ He spent a minute or two working at the strings, tuning it as best he could by ear before plugging it into the amp and adjusting the volume to it and the Mic. When Blaine approached center stage the entire club went silent and stared at him. Blaine cleared his throat awkwardly.

"Er, hi. I'm going to play a song, hope you don't mind." Blaine started immediately on the fast-paced guitar intro, swallowing the nervous lump in his throat before singing.

_We started out okay, but you threw it all away  
My God, what's going on in your head?  
For all we could have found  
Just to let it hit the ground but I'm good and done we're over and dead_

_And yes, I'm leaving you it's obvious  
(Hey, hey, hey, hey)  
So wipe that stupid look right off of your face_

_Get out of my way, what did he say? He's so, so sorry  
Just get out of my way, what did he say? He's so, so sorry  
He said I wanna start over today, take me back again  
Get out of my way what did he say? He's so, so sorry_

All Blaine could think about was how great it felt to be singing again. He let his emotions play through the song, directing them straight to the new Kurt, trying to get rid of him so he can go back to peacefully remembering his Kurt.

_You try to shift the blame  
My god are you insane  
and I'm sorry babe is all you can say  
You've made a mess before  
I kept coming back for more  
Cause I never thought you'd end it this way_

_And yes, I'm leaving you it's obvious  
(Hey, hey, hey, hey)  
So wipe that stupid look right off of your face_

_Get out of my way, what did he say? He's so, so sorry  
Just get out of my way, what did he say? He's so, so sorry  
He said I wanna start over today, take me back again  
Get out of my way what did he say? He's so, so sorry_

Blaine didn't notice any change in his audience as he continued to change the words, replacing "she" with "he". As he got into the song he noticed that they were actually starting to enjoy it. _Oh, thank god, _was all Blaine could think.

_And that's all that I can say_

_If you've never been let down _

_Then this story's far from over  
Everything comes back around _

_So be careful what you say _

_What goes up gotta come down  
Don't be taken back it's all because of you_

Blaine played the guitar solo with as much pizzazz as he could manage, trying to get into it. He was loving the feel of performing again, the vibrations of the guitar from the amp, the sweat the gathered on his forehead from his excitement, the adrenaline rush the crowd gave. Everything.

_Get out of my way, what did he say? He's so, so sorry  
Just get out of my way, what did he say? He's so, so sorry  
He said I wanna start over today, take me back again  
Get out of my way what did he say? He's so, so sorry_

_Never again_

_Never again_

_What'd he say, out of out of my way_

_What'd I tell him_

_What'd I tell him_

_What'd he say, out of my what_

_What'd I tell him_

_What'd I tell him_

As the last note rung through the air Blaine took a deep breath. _Goodbye, Kurt._ He thought before placing the guitar back where he found it and walking out of the bar. He was going back to Kurt's apartment and he was going to pack. It was time they left each other's lives. It'd be better for the both of them.


	9. Realization and Escape

**A/N: **So... this chapter is angsty still... but it's got some "awwe" moments... I hope. (They were "awee" worthy when I wrote them, anyway.) I don't actually have much to say here this chapter. Just, thanks for all the support and lovely reviews and I'm truly glad that you've read this far. (:

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**9. Realization and Escape **

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* * *

**Kurt woke the next morning to the lovely smell of fresh brewed coffee. He rubbed at his eyes sleepily, a grin in place as he stretched his hands over his head. When he felt the arm of the couch press against his arms the smile vanished from his face as he remembered the events from the night before.

"Oh, Kurt, you're awake." Tia said as she walked in from the kitchen, two coffee mugs in hand. She held one out to him, but Kurt groaned and pushed it away. He wanted to crawl back into a ball and go to sleep. "Kurt, you're going to want to drink it. I… I have some bad news."

Kurt reluctantly took the mug from Tia. He knew that she wouldn't tell him until he till a sip, so he brought the cup to his lips. Kurt had to admit that the warm liquid did make him feel a bit better… a bit.

"Kurt…" Tia's voice broke, and when he looked up at her Kurt saw tears in her eyes.

"What? What happened? What's wrong, Tia, did something happen? Are you okay?"

"Oh, Kurt…" She said sadly, touching his cheek. "I'm fine. It's… Kurt, Blaine's gone."

Kurt felt his whole body go numb and he lost his grip on the mug as it fell to the floor with a clatter, coffee spilling everywhere. Neither person took notice.

"…what?" Kurt could barely manage as his heart pounded against his chest violently. Blaine couldn't have left; he wouldn't do that to Kurt… would he?

"He… he left this morning Kurt. He saw you were asleep and he… he went back to Seattle. He told me to tell you it was… better for you both."

Kurt was blindly aware of her hand stroking comforting circles on his back, but he couldn't think of anything but Blaine right now. Kurt pulled his knees to his chest and lay back down on the couch. His hands were shaking and his heart was pounding as he let the tears fall freely down his face.

* * *

"Hey, there." Kurt looked up at the familiar voice.

"Uh… who're you?" Tia asked. Kurt popped his head over the couch, squinting at the two as they talked in the doorway of Kurt's flat.

"…Ellington?" Kurt was ashamed at how raspy his voice sounded, and it made him painfully aware of how red and puffy his eyes must be.

"Kurt? Jesus, you look like crap. What happened?"

_Blaine would never have put it that bluntly_, Kurt thought bitterly. His heart panged again as he thought of Blaine. Kurt tried to push back the tears that were threatening to fall once again.

"Kurt, babe. What happened?" Ellington had moved over to the couch and attempted to put his arm around his shoulders, but Kurt flinched away.

"Blaine… Blaine's gone…" His voice cracked badly on the last word and he saw Tia flinch from the corner of his eye.

"Awesome! I was wondering when that idiot would leave. You're not really _you_ when he's here. Now you can move on," Kurt would've thought he was joking was it not for the large, genuine smile he had on his face.

"It's not _awesome_," Kurt scowled at him, "It's _horrible_. This is the second time I've lost Blaine and _I don't like it._ I don't care if it's selfish, I don't care if it's immature, I want Blaine, and I want him to myself."

"So… keep in touch? Jesus, babe. Why don't we just fix your broken heart with a night out? Maybe a couple drinks? We could go back to my place and then I can make you forget all about that guy."

"You…" Kurt stood up and glared down at Ellington. How was he _ever_ attracted to this in the slightest? He didn't even _look_ like Blaine. His eyes weren't even close to Blaine's glorious brown, his hair was too messy and his eyebrows too… normal. Not to mention that he was a complete and total _idiot._ "You are the most _insensitive, rude_ and _foul_ man I have ever met. I don't know how I _ever_ saw Blaine in you and I _never_ want to see your face again."

"What?

"Get. Out. Of. My. House." Kurt said firmly.

"What the hell, Kurt! I was just trying to make you feel better." Ellington replied as he stood up, now towering over Kurt. "It's about time you got over your fucking _high school romance_. I'm tired of being _his_ replacement, Kurt."

Kurt's eyes went wide as he stared Ellington square in the eye. He didn't know about that. He couldn't… could he? "…Pardon?" Kurt said finally.

"You don't think I've known this _whole time_, Kurt? You seriously didn't think I'd go looking after the second or third time you moaned his name instead of mine? Turns out we look awfully similar, don't we? But you know what? I didn't care. I dealt with it because _I love you,_ Kurt, and there isn't a single thing that would stop me from loving you." Kurt heard himself gasp loudly as Ellington brushed a thumb over his cheek. "I want to be with you, Kurt. I want to forget all about this, all about _him._"

"I…" Kurt's voice faltered and he felt sick to his stomach. Ellington _loved _him? "Ellington I _can't_. I've been leading you on this whole time; using you as a replacement for Blaine. I… I can't continue to lie to you… to myself. I've finally let myself admit to the fact that yes, I am still horribly in love with Blaine. It's about time that I stop trying to run away from the fact because I know it's not going to go away any time soon. I'm sorry Ellington, I really am, I ju—"

"No," Ellington was shaking his head vigorously, and he grabbed Kurt's face tightly between his hands, "No Kurt. We can work this out… I can make you forget him!"

Kurt opened his mouth to protest, but Ellington took advantage of it and forced his lips onto the smaller boy's. Kurt tried with all his strength to move his head, to get out of Ellington's grasp, but he was pushed forcefully onto the couch. Ellington pressed his thigh between Kurt's legs, and Kurt began to cry.

_Get off, get off, get off!_ Kurt thought desperately, _Blaine, help me!_

_

* * *

_"_Flight 204 to Seattle is now boarding."_ Blaine looked at the terminal entrance warily. He was about to leave New York. He was about to leave Kurt, and he promised himself that as soon as he stepped foot in Seattle he'd never turn back. Blaine didn't even know what was going through his mind when he thought of coming here in the first place. They'd grown, changed; why did he think it would be like it was back at Dalton? Why was he so _vain_ as to believe that maybe Kurt was still as in love with Blaine as he was with Kurt?

Blaine sighed sadly before walking to the counter in front of the terminal. He handed a young lady his ticket and she smiled brightly at him, asking if he enjoyed his say in the Big Apple. Blaine could only manage a small smile before boarding. As he took his seat at the back of the plane, Blaine took out his old, run-down iPod and his headphones. He plugged in and turned up the volume as loud as he could without disturbing the other passengers. The lovely sounds of the Beatles' _"I Want to Hold Your Hand"_ began to play, and Blaine let out a groan before changing the song. Irony at it's best. He closed his eyes hoping to fall asleep, and was out cold before the plane even left the airport.

In his dreams, Blaine was brought back to Dalton, back to _his_ Kurt. Back to the boy who couldn't fake "sexy" for the life of him, because he was already there without trying; the boy who had walked hand in hand with Blaine down the halls of Dalton, sharing kisses between classes and passing notes when the teachers weren't looking. Blaine dreamt about the times where it was okay for him to love Kurt and the times where Kurt loved him too.

He relived all his favorite memories from the time he'd known Kurt. From the simplicity of just cuddling to the romantic dates he had tried so hard to plan out. He remembered all the time they spent at the Lima Bean, either by themselves or among their friends.

Blaine had somehow managed to sleep for his entire flight, not waking until he felt the bump of the plane hitting the runway. When he clued into his surroundings, the first thing he noticed was the sound of _I Want To Hold Your Hand_ playing in his ears.

_Oh, c'mon!_ Blaine thought bitterly. Blaine looked to his right to see a woman staring at him in a sort of… pleasant confusion.

"I'm sorry, can I, er… help you?" Blaine asked, trying not to sound too rude or defensive.

"I don't mean to sound strange, or anything, but you've been moaning 'Kurt' since we left New York."

"W-what?"

"In your sleep. You were moaning his name. Not loud enough for everyone to hear or anything, don't worry, but… you sounded concerned. And a bit hurt."

"Oh… uh…"

"Well," she said as she cleared her throat, "sorry about that. That was weird of me, wasn't it?"

"No… it's just… I didn't say anything else, did I?"

"You, ah… You said you loved him," she replied quietly, "that's why I brought it up."

"Oh." Blaine was pretty sure he was as red as a tomato. _Great, Blaine_, he thought to himself, _now you're __**moaning**__ his name in your sleep?_

"I, uh… I hope it works out between you two." The lady stood up now that most of the plane had cleared out. She flashed him a smile before walking away.

* * *

"Get off him you douche bag!" Ellington was pulled of Kurt brutally by Tia, who had tackled him to the floor and sat herself on his back. One of his arms was bent at an awkward angle and Kurt was pretty sure it wouldn't take much more to break it. "Now, listen to me. You're got to get the hell out of this house and you are _never_ going to come back. You're not going to try and approach Kurt, and you're _not_ going to see or talk to him anymore. If I _ever_ hear of you even _trying_ to, so help me god I will brake your arm. Got it?"

Ellington nodded quickly. Kurt smiled in relief when Tia got off and Ellington practically sprinted from the apartment. Tia immediately made her way to the couch, wrapping an arm protectively around Kurt.

"Oh, baby, are you okay?" She cooed. Kurt threw his arms around her and pulled her close. He had never been so happy to see her in his life. Actually, now that he thought about it, Kurt realized that she had been there every time he needed her.

"Thank you, Tia," he whispered into her hair.

"Don't mention it Kurt. You didn't seriously expect me to just let him rape you, did you?"

"No… for everything. I broke down completely and you were just… just there for me. You didn't ask me questions, didn't force me to talk to you about it. You were just there."

"What can I say, Kurt? You've become a great friend. I don't want to see you hurt. I want to see you happy."

"I don't know what to do anymore, Tia," Kurt admitted with a sigh, "And now I've pushed Blaine away, too."

"Oh, honey. I'm sure you'll figure out a way. But right now? Right now you need to _sleep._ You look horrible, Kurt, and I mean that in the best way possible. Did you forget you have to go on stage again tonight?"

"Oh, right. _Great._" Kurt groaned.

"Go to sleep, okay? I've got to go run some errands. I'll pick up some coffee for us before the show tonight and we can go together."

"Okay." Tia stood up, taking Kurt with her. Once she was out the door Kurt locked it. He wasn't taking any chances with Ellington.

Kurt shuffled his way down the hall, which seemed to be twice as long as the last time he walked down it, and walked into his room. His bed had never looked so inviting. Kurt walked forward and was about to throw himself on top of it when he noticed a single piece of paper lying on the pillows. Kurt swallowed the lump in his throat and approached the bed. He reached out with shaking hands to pick up the piece of paper. There was a note scrawled onto the back and as Kurt read his eyes began to water.

_Dearest Kurt,_

_I understand how horrible it was of me to leave you so abruptly. But face it, Kurt. It wasn't working. I wish we could make it work, believe me, but I'll just end up hurting you in some way again. So I'm leaving. But I want you to have this. I know you went through my sketchbook, and I thought that maybe you should have at least one complete picture. _

_So here you go. _

_Blaine_

Kurt opened the picture and gasped. Looking up at him was… him. But from five years ago. The date on the bottom of the page was the day the two had graduated. The drawing was absolutely perfect. Blaine had managed to capture not only his physical appearance but his personality. He had captured his personality… in his eyes. The finished eyes that had been missing in all the other pictures were so perfectly drawn here. Kurt started crying yet again, but for the first time they weren't because he was sad.

* * *

**A/N: **I usually don't put these down here, but I wanted to thank my friend Brittany for giving me the idea for Blaine to give Kurt a finished picture, since he isn't able to draw eyes. Ever.

A bit of background on the picture? Blaine drew it on the day of Grad, as I say in the fic, and he captured Kurt when he was laughing, so you see his adorable smile. This is the only complete picture of Kurt Blaine has ever drawn, and it is the only copy of said picture. Blaine used to carry it around in his wallet.


	10. Your Eyes

**A/N:** Hello beautiful readers! :D You're all so wonderful and amazing and kind, thank you for the lovely reviews, they make my day every time!  
So, this chapter's a bit short because I cut it in half. I'm having a bit of trouble with the next bit, but I wanted to get a bit up! All songs in this chapter are from RENT, which I _finally_ got to watch this weekend (Oh, suuuuch a good musical.). It's not so angsty this time! I think it's more "awee" worthy... I hope. xD  
So here's chapter 10. Enjoy! :)

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**10. Your Eyes**

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* * *

**

"Hello, Mr. Frantica," Blaine said as he entered his art classroom. He had woken especially early in hopes to catch his teacher alone.

"Blaine? What're you doing back so early?"

Blaine could stop himself from flinching. "Er, stuff didn't work out as well as we thought it would."

"Did you complete a painting?" His teacher asked hopefully. He was one of the few people that still saw potential in Blaine, even if he'd never seen a completed piece of work from the boy.

"Almost…" Blaine handed the taller man the rolled up New York skyline painting. He chewed on the inside of his lip nervously as his teacher unrolled it on the table.

"It's… it's breathtaking, Blaine. One of your best, I must say. The level of detail is just… outstanding. Why did you stop?"

"I started it when I was happy, giddy even, and I'm just… I'm not anymore."

"Blaine, I'm sorry, but since it's unfinished you're only going to get a C on it. If it was finished… it would get an A for sure. Hell, if it was finished you could _sell_ it."

"S'all good Mr. Frantica," Blaine replied. He was used to getting C's at this point. "Would it be too much trouble to get the assignment for this week now? I'd like to start working on it."

"You're not coming to class, are you?" Mr. Frantica deadpanned. This was tradition for Blaine, after all. Only a handful of students had ever met the kid. Sure enough, Blaine shook his head. "Fine. We're doing portraits this week. The goal is to capture someone's personality in a sketch. No color."

Blaine groaned audibly.

"Look, I know portraits are a problem for you, kid, but just… try drawing someone _other_ than that boy."

"I-I do! I've drawn other people!"

"But none with eyes, right?"

"I… I've always sucked at drawing eyes." Blaine tried to lie.

"That's not true. I've seen that picture from your wallet." Blaine didn't bother to question the man on how he'd managed that, he'd stopped trying to understand his teacher three years ago, and instead shook his head sadly. "Just… try and draw the picture, Blaine."

"I will," Blaine said with a nod before turning on his heal and heading for the door.

"Blaine?" Mr. Frantica called. Blaine stopped and looked over his shoulder, "Don't you want the painting back?"

"No thanks, Mr. Frantica. It's got too many memories attached to it."

* * *

"Good job today, Mr. Hummel," Kurt nodded numbly to his cast mates. It'd been three days since Blaine had—since the scenario. Kurt had continued to perform even after he'd been told to take a break. He just knew that if he was left to think for more than fifteen minutes he'd end up begging Blaine to come back, and he had too much pride for that.

"Hey, Kurt?" Tia asked as they walked towards their dressing rooms.

"Yeah?"

"I got asked out a week ago, and the date was supposed to be for tonight and I was just, well I know you don't really want to be alone right now and—"

"Tia! You're not cancelling because of me! I'll be _fine._ You've been looking out for me for three days; you need some time to yourself." She still looked doubtful, but nodded reluctantly and walked into her dressing room. Kurt took his time as he gently removed his stage makeup. Tonight would be his first night left alone since… well, in a while, and Kurt felt oddly nervous.

_You've been living alone for five years;_ he tried to tell himself, _why are you freaking out all of the sudden?_

Once he was sure Tia was gone, Kurt left his own dressing room. He called for his limo and reluctantly got in.

"Straight home, Mr. Hummel?" Randy asked.

Kurt thought for a moment before answering. "Actually, Randy, could you drive me to the waterside?"

* * *

Blaine walked into his home and threw his bag on the couch. He walked over to his kitchen and opened the fridge to find it empty. As usual. He walked over to one of the few cupboards and grabbed a glass, filling it up with water.

When he sat down on one of the couches in his kitchen-living room, Blaine took out his sketchbook and began to attempt to draw a portrait. Before he even realized what he was doing, he had a half-finished picture of Kurt in front of him, without eyes as usual. Blaine thought for a moment about how those eyes used to gaze into his own as him and Kurt sat talking with Burt and Carol. Blaine thought back to the times where he would stare at Kurt's profile as he studied and just imagined living with him in five years as they went to school. He remembered the playful glint in Kurt's eye when he was caught staring and the glimpse of sheer love he'd see before they kissed goodbye. Blaine remembered the sadness that filled those eyes when they said goodbye for the last time, and he imagined the hurt, the anger, that must've filled those oh so beautiful eyes when he awoke to find Blaine gone three days ago.

Blaine angrily ripped out the piece of paper, crumpling it and throwing it at the recycling bin in the corner of the room. He missed by a good foot and a half. With one last look at his sketchbook, Blaine got up and left the room.

When he entered the room, Blaine headed straight for the bed. All he wanted to do was curl up under his sheets and sleep for days. His plans changed, however, when he caught a glimpse of his guitar. Blaine had the sudden urge to play.

Once Blaine was seated on his bed, he closed his eyes as he tried to think of what to play. When he opened them again his fingers where already in place. Blaine quietly played the first few notes, getting louder as his confidence grew.

_Your eyes_

_As we said our goodbyes_

_Can't get them out of my mind_

_And find I can't hide _

_From your eyes_

_The ones that took me by surprise _

_The night you came into my life_

_Where there's moonlight_

_I see your eyes_

Blaine closed his eyes, his hands knowing exactly what to play, as he sang, thinking about Kurt on the staircase, the first time their eyes met on that fateful day and Blaine knew, just _knew_ that he was in trouble because this boy was already drawing him in and they had yet to speak a word to each other.

_How'd I let you slip away_

_When I'm longing so to hold you_

Blaine's heart skipped a beat as he remembered the feel of his arms holding Kurt tightly to his chest, and just how much he missed being able to hold him and whisper the three fateful words neither of them would ever think of muttering again.

_Now I'd die for one more day_

'_Cause there's something I should have told you_

_Yes, there's something I should have told you_

_When I looked into your eyes_

_Why does distance made us wise?_

_You were the song all along_

Blaine had never sung with such feeling in his life. He belted out the lyrics, sending them to Kurt and wishing that he could hear them. Blaine wished that Kurt could hear the words he was too afraid to speak himself.

_I should tell you, I should tell you_

_I have __**always**__ loved you_

_You can see it in my eyes!_

Blaine was panting by the time he finished, and he just let the emotion take over as the tears fell freely down his face. He finally let himself just _cry_ and it felt wonderful. He loved Kurt and there was nothing he could do about it. He placed his guitar on the floor and pulled his legs to his chest as he cried himself quietly to sleep, lightly whispering the words he'd been too scared to tell: "I love you, Kurt."

* * *

Kurt pulled his blankets up to his chin, looking out the sliding glass door and to the beauty of New York. Kurt remembered the incomplete painting of this exact skyline that he had found in Blaine's room, he remembered the beauty and the detail and… Kurt reached under his pillow and took out the drawing Blaine had left for him. He ran his fingers lightly over the note that was left for him. He closed his eyes as he held it against his chest and let a tear run down his cheek.

_525 600 minutes_

_525 600 moments so dear_

_625 600 minutes_

_How do you measure_

_How do you measure a year?_

Kurt laughed at himself a bit as he realized what he was singing. He remembered when he had taken Blaine to go see the production of _RENT_ that was held near Lima. They had had such fun, and Kurt had spent most of the night quoting it word-for-word with Blaine. He remembered as they both teared up at Angel's death, how they panicked when Mimi went missing even though they'd seen it countless times. Kurt remembered sitting on his couch with Blaine later that night and singing the song quietly. He remembered as their voices harmonized together and he remembered them falling asleep like that.

He let out a shaky breath and placed the picture safely under his pillow. Kurt reached for his phone and selected Blaine's name.

_Blaine, I love you._ He typed, but erased it before he could hit send.

_I'm sorry_. He tried, but again chickened out.

With a frown, Kurt typed everything he was feeling. He knew he would _never_ send it to Blaine, but he needed to at least let it out.

_Blaine, I'm sorry. I was stupid for dating Ellington. He was a jerk and I guess I couldn't see past the fact that he… well, he looked like you. Blaine I couldn't forget about you. You were my first true love and you're the only person I've ever loved. I feel like such an idiot for pushing you away yet again. Blaine I… I need you. _

He suddenly felt like a giant weight had been lifted from his chest. Just as he was about to erase the message, Kurt's doorbell rang. He jumped and almost dropped the phone. Kurt was able to catch it, thankfully, and he placed it on his bedside table before running to get the door.

Kurt opened his door to find a bouquet of roses. The card simply said _"Great job tonight, Kurtie! Glad to finally see you on Broadway, and sorry I didn't have the time to come have a chat. –Rachel_"

_Rachel was at tonight's show?_ Kurt thought, _Well, way to tell me, Rach._

Kurt walked into the kitchen brought out a vase to put the roses in. After all the stems were cut and they were safely sitting on his coffee table, Kurt made his way back to his bed. He reached blindly for his phone once he was comfortable. The screen lit up and Kurt quickly entered the pass code to his iPhone. There was one conversation open. Kurt read the name of the person and it read Blaine Anderson. Underneath was the long confession Kurt had typed out. And Blaine's response.

_Kurt, we need to talk._


	11. All You Need Is Love

**A/N:** So, this chapter took a while to write. It's not that it's longer than usual, sadly it's not, I just had a lot of troubles writing it. It's a bit awkward and, er, I dunno. Excited for the upcoming chapters. Not quite sure if I want to end it where I was planning to or write a bit more into it. Hmm, would you guys _like_ to read more?

Hope you enjoy this chapter, none the less!

* * *

**11. All You Need Is Love**

**

* * *

**Kurt looked at his phone in horror. No way. There was no way in _hell_ that that happened. When his ringtone began to play Kurt swallowed nervously. It was Blaine. He didn't know if he wanted to answer. What he had just sent… it was so horribly embarrassing and he didn't know if he could deal with whatever Blaine was about to say. Kurt decided to let it ring through. Blaine didn't leave a message so Kurt placed his phone back on his nightstand. He was about to fall asleep when his ringtone played again.

_Well, time to face the inevitable,_ he thought.

"Hello?"

"_Hi,"_ Blaine's voice sounded husky and rough and Kurt pictured Blaine laying on his bed, his face stubbly and his hair in messy curls. The thought was like a slap to the face.

"Look, Blaine, about that text," Kurt started to say before realizing he wasn't sure where he was going with it.

"_Let me guess? You didn't mean to send it?" _Blaine asked and Kurt could almost _hear_ him roll his eyes.

"Well, no. I didn't mean to send it," Kurt answered defensively, "Why would I purposely force this conversation upon myself, Blaine?"

"_What do you mean?"_

"This-this awkwardness!" Kurt moaned, "I don't even know why I typed that, and yeah I feel like a complete idiot. But I… I was just… and I've…" Kurt's voice trailed off as he lost his confidence and tried to sink into his pillows as he felt his face fluster.

"_Is it true, though?" _Blaine's voice sounded surprisingly calm for the situation they were in, and Kurt felt like a blushing virgin again.

"I-what do you mean?"

"_Did you mean what you said; about Ellington and your… your feelings for me?"_

"I… well, I…" With a sigh Kurt gave up, "yes, of course I did."

"_Why didn't you just __**tell me**__, Kurt? While I was in New York, why didn't you just-just __**tell me**__?" _Blaine sounded so… desperate.

"Because I wasn't ready to put myself up for rejection."

"_Rejection? Kurt, what on earth do you mean? Why would I __**reject**__ you when I've been in love with you since I met you?"_

Kurt gasped loudly and it took all his strength to hold back his tears. "…What?" He managed to choke out.

"_Oh, Kurt. Isn't it obvious? How can you not see that I still have feelings for you? Did you honestly think they went away? I… I couldn't forget you Kurt. I tried, believe me I tried, but you were… you are my everything. You don't know how much I wanted to fly out to New York and see your first ever Broadway performance, how badly I wanted to be there with you as you grew and the rest of the world saw the beauty that I've known was there from the beginning. I love you, Kurt Hummel. I love you more than I ever thought would be possible and there isn't a thing in this world that would __**ever**__ change that."_

The emotion in Blaine's voice was so clear, so painfully obvious, that Kurt couldn't help but cry. Blaine still loved him and it filled him with so much joy that Kurt was sure his heart was going to beat out of its ribcage. He had never wished so badly to be with Blaine more then he did in that moment. He just wanted to be back in the safety of Blaine's arms, back _home_.

"_...Kurt?" _

"I-I… I don't know what to say," Kurt said through his tears. After a moment Kurt spoke up again, "Blaine, where are you?"

"_At my apartment, why?"_

"Where's that?"

"_Er… Seattle."_ There was a moment of silence before Kurt heard Blaine speak again. _"Kurt, why do you need to know?"_

"I… Blaine, I…"

"_You what, Kurt?"_

"I want to be with you, Blaine!" Kurt blurted out before he thought about it. He felt a blush rise to the tip of his ears and for that moment he was glad that Blaine couldn't see him.

"…_What?"_

_

* * *

_"_I want to be with you, Blaine!" _Kurt's voice was so desperate, that Blaine's mind went completely blank. Reading it in a text message was one thing, but _hearing_ Kurt say it? It was suddenly hard for Blaine to breathe.

"…What?" He whispered into the phone, immediately feeling like an idiot. _Great response, Blaine._ He thought, _Way to keep the mood. _Kurt's answer, however, left him even more dumbfounded.

"_I… I want to… I want to be able to hold you, to kiss you, to call you mine! I want to be able to talk to you about anything at any time. I want to come home and cook dinner for you; I want to see your smiling face every night before I go to bed. I want you, Blaine, and I don't care if I have to leave Broadway and move to Seattle, I want to be with you."_

"Kurt… you… but I…" Blaine couldn't believe how stupid he sounded as he stumbled over what he wanted to say. The only coherent thought that he would process was that _Yes, Kurt loves him._

"_Blaine," _Kurt breathed and it snapped him out of his thoughts immediately.

"I want to be with you, too, Kurt." Admitting it felt _so good_, and Blaine was smiling so hard he felt like his face was splitting in half.

"_Can I… can I come see you? Please?" _

"Kurt, of course you can," Blaine responded immediately, "But don't you still have shows?"

"_Well, yeah, but I can get out of them. We've got backups and—"_

"Kurt, no. You're going to finish your performances for Grease, and then we'll find away to get to each other."

"_But Blaine!" _

Blaine laughed at Kurt's whiney tone. "Kurt, we've waited years for each other, and I promise you I won't stop loving you. Ever. We both know that this show means a lot to you, and you are not leaving it for _me._" There was a grumble in response, and Blaine laughed harder. "Oh, Kurt. I love you so much and I'm so glad that I can finally say that."

"_But now I want to see you."_

"I think you'll be able to last a few more days. How many more shows do you have?"

"_Blaine, it… we're running it for another five weeks.." _Kurt responded quietly.

"Well, that's not too bad, right?"

"_I suppose not."_ As they fell into a comfortable silence, Blaine walked back into his living area and picked up his sketchbook. For some reason he knew that this time he'd be able to get those breathtaking eyes right. _"Hey, Blaine?"_

"Mm?" Blaine responded as his charcoal scratched across the paper, the beginnings of the portrait already there.

"_I love you."_

A giddy smile graced Blaine's features as he stopped drawing. "I love you, too, Kurt."


	12. It Wont Be Long

**A/N: **Hello everyone! So, this chapter. It's alllll fluff. Well, okay, maybe not "fluff" persay, but it's very cheery. And no, this isn't quite the end. I've actually got few more ideas planned out so it's going to be (a lot) longer then I originally planned. Sorry for how short this is, but the next chapter is probably going to be a bit longer! Thank you again for all the lovely reviews, you are all so wonderful!

* * *

**12. It Wont Be Long  


* * *

**

As soon as Blaine and Kurt said their farewells, accompanied by 'I love you's, Blaine picked up his sketchbook and began to draw. By the time he finished the picture it was midnight, but when Blaine looked down at the _finished_ art, he knew that the four hours were worth it. He quickly placed the book back on his couch before going to his room and collapsing onto his bed. With a content sigh, Blaine fell into a dreamless sleep.

The next morning Blaine woke early and decided that today he was going to actually _go_ to his art class. He tried to make himself look more presentable than usual, though with little success. In his opinion, Blaine still looked like a beach bum. At 9 sharp, Blaine entered his art class and took a seat near the back of the class. If Mr. Frantica was shocked by Blaine's arrival, he sure did a good job of hiding it. Slowly but surely the rest of the class showed up. Some of the students gave Blaine no notice, while others did a double take before staring as if to ask "Who the hell are you?"

Once everyone seemed to be seated, Mr. Frantica walked to the middle of the room. "Hello class," he said pleasantly, "How are you all this wonderful morning?"

There was a general murmur in return and Mr. Frantica just brightened his smile. "So, you all got your assignments yesterday, would anyone like to show their progress so far?"

Blaine gulped back the lump in his throat as he slowly raised his hand. When his teacher's eyes settled on him he was shocked. Blaine suddenly felt self conscious as his classmates turned are stared. "A-actually," Blaine began, his voice wavering only slightly, "I've finished mine."

"Really?" Mr. Frantica asked with a raise of his brows, he quickly composed his features into a bright smile as he motioned Blaine forward, but it was obvious in his eyes he was worried

"So, er…" Blaine paused before turning to the older man, "Can I give an introduction to my work? It's kind of important." The older man gave a slight nod, and Blaine turned back to his classmates. "Er… Hi. I'm Blaine Anderson," Blaine tried to look at each of his classmates. _Courage, Blaine_, he thought to himself. "And, um, well…" Blaine opened his sketchbook to the finished charcoal sketch, "This is my portrait. It's of—"

"Isn't that Kurt Hummel?" One of the girls asked.

"Yeah, it looks like him," Another added.

"Yes, it's Kurt." Blaine replied with a tender smile, "He's my muse. Has been since high school."

"Wait, you _know_ Kurt Hummel?" A perky redhead in the front row asked. Blaine nodded slowly.

"Oh, _please_," One of the guys said, "I highly doubt that."

"Trust me, I know Kurt Hummel."

"Blaine, the eyes…" His teacher said slowly, "They're complete."

"Well it's not really a portrait without eyes, is it?" One of the males in the back of the room demanded.

"Ah… You see I… well, I haven't been able to complete a drawing since Kurt and I parted after graduation," Blaine replied, "And for the longest time I just felt like an artist who lost his touch. It wasn't until I met up with Kurt recently that I was finally able to complete this."

"Awe, I think that's one of the most romantic statements ever," One of the girls said with a dreamy sigh, "You must have girls hanging off you with all that charm."

Blaine couldn't help but chuckle as he closed his sketchbook. "I play for the other team, actually."

"Oh…" There was a pause before she looked at him quizzically. "Are you and Kurt together, then?"

"Please, Kurt's not gay. Isn't he dating that Tia chick?" Someone said from the other side of the room.

"If I may," Blaine interrupted politely, "He _is_ in fact gay. And, well, we _were_ dating and now we're… well we're complicated." His classmates seemed shocked by this information, and Blaine gave a slight chuckle before turning back to his teacher. "Well, I think this class has learned enough about my personal life for one day."

"Well, the drawing is fantastic Blaine. Definitely worth an A. I'm glad you've finally managed to get your muse back."

"Thanks, Mr. F," Blaine said freely, a bright smile in place.

* * *

"Wow, Kurt. You really went all out tonight, didn't you?"

Kurt spun around to face Tia with a big smile. "So it was okay?"

"Are you kidding? You were phenomenal!"

Kurt laughed airily as they walked towards their dressing rooms. "I guess I'm just giddy that everything is _finally_ looking up."

"Oh?" Tia raised a perfectly plucked eyebrow, and Kurt smiled mischievously. "Kurt! You better tell me!" She called as he walked away from her and into his dressing room.

When he emerged nearly an hour later, Tia was waiting patiently outside his door, phone in hand and blonde hair tied into a messy ponytail.

"Wow, okay, it's not _that_ big of news!"

"Please, Kurt," Tia replied and Kurt had to bite his lip to stop his laughter at her stance. There she stood, one hand resting on her hip, with one eyebrow raised as she looked at him expectantly. "I haven't seen you this happy since… well since Blaine came to see the show."

Kurt was embarrassed by the giggle that escaped his lips and his eyes went wide, hands moving up to cover his mouth immediately.

It seemed to take Tia a minute to process, but as soon as she did a smile played on her features. "Kurt… what happened?"

"He… we… Oh, I don't know how to explain it, Tia! But it was romantic, and… and he still loves me." Kurt's smile was bright and he felt happy tears forming in his eyes.

There was a happy squeak from Tia before she pulled him into a bone-crushing hug as they both laughed happily. "Of course he does, dummy! Anyone could've told you that!"

"But Tia, he _forgave_ me." Kurt breathed happily as Tia linked her arm in his, leading him towards the exit.

"There was nothing to forgive, really."

"Did you have the, er, _pleasure_ of meeting Ellington? He walked in on me acting like… well, acting like a whore to be honest!"

"And he was furious and decided to leave. But you didn't see him the morning he left, Kurt. The boy was heartbroken. I swear he spent a full ten minutes just _staring_ at your sleeping form before he walked away. You made a mistake, Kurt, and he knows that. It may've broken his heart to see you like that, but Kurt he _adores_ you. He wouldn't just let you go, not fully."

Kurt stared at Tia with his mouth hanging open in a way that Kurt just knew made him look like a complete idiot. "What?" She demanded after a moment.

"That was… well, Tia, to be honest that was amazingly insightful."

Tia unhooked her arm from Kurt's and stood back, a look of feigned hurt on her face. "What are you trying to say, Kurt?" They exploded into another round of giggles that left them both gasping for breath and clutching their stomachs. Kurt rubbed at the tears that had formed in his eyes and he had never felt so carefree… so _happy_ then he did in that moment. Kurt felt like _Kurt_ again.

* * *

The next five weeks of their lives passed Kurt and Blaine in a blur of happiness. Blaine became more involved in his schoolwork and made friends with his fellow students while Kurt continued to amaze crowds of people each night he performed.

Blaine's teacher actually managed to get him a spot in one of the big art galleries and told Blaine to complete at least three pieces. Amazingly enough, this was no longer a problem for Blaine. Ever since he completed the portrait of Kurt, drawing, painting; art in general has come easily again. Not only that, though. Blaine was playing again, and singing. He was writing music and most importantly; Blaine was _living_ again.

After his success in the art show, Blaine was approached by a group of important-looking people. A tall lady looked down her nose at him and they all approached. Blaine almost gagged at how _snobby_ they looked. He forced a fake smile onto his face, though, because he was an artist and he was going to be professional about this.

"Hello," The tall lady said as they approached, "I'm assuming you're the artist behind these?" She gestured to the paintings behind him.

"Yes, ma'am." Blaine replied with as much charm as he could muster.

"Well they're quite nice. How much are you selling them for?"

Blaine was taken aback. Selling? The thought hadn't even crossed his mind. "Er, I hadn't really—"

"—Oh, fine. _I'll_ make an offer," She interrupted before turning to face a short, plump man, "_Artists_," she sighed, "They can be so stubborn."

Blaine just stared at her in disbelief. _Rich people,_ he thought, _they can be so selfish._

"Okay, Mr… er…?"  
"Anderson."

"Mr. Anderson. I'll give you $2, 000 for that one." She pointed to a painting Blaine had done looking up from the waterfront. The city was illuminated by the bright lights of the buildings and the neon signs that shone bright when the nightlife of Seattle was in full-swing.

"$2, 000?" Blaine's jaw dropped. He had to admit that, yes, the painting was good. But _$2, 000?_

"Yes, $2, 000," She said slowly, as if talking to a toddler. "Do you accept the—"

"—Yes! Yes, of course I do!" Blaine interjected quickly. She continued to talk but Blaine simply smiled and nodded. He stopped paying attention to her and instead began planning. With that money he could _easily_ go back to find Kurt. Surprise him somehow… Blaine smiled brightly at the woman, who just looked a bit worried and even a tad frightened. If only she knew just how glad Blaine was to get that money.

* * *

"Hello?" Tia asked calmly. An unknown number had shown up on her screen, and you'd think being a Broadway star she'd know better than to answer it, but she took her chances.

"_Oh, Tia, great! It's Blaine." _

"Blaine…? How on _earth_ did you get my number?"

"_Oh, Kurt gave it to me while I was there. Something about emergency purposes?"_ The boy on the other end of the phone sounded _way_ too happy, and it was making Tia nervous.

"And is this an emergency, Blaine?"

"_Well, kind of. I mean, it's not really a __**bad**__ emergency. I want to surprise Kurt, but I'm going to need your help."_

"Surprise Kurt?" She asked dumbfounded, "In what way?" Blaine went on to explain his plan to her, and Tia's smile grew with each little detail. Blaine seemed to know every little thing that would make Kurt smile, and each and every one was included in his plan.

"Yeah, our last night is tomorrow… Yeah, no your plan is _fantastic_, Blaine. One question, though. Where on _earth_ did you get the money for all this? I thought you were a struggling art student?"

"_I got my touch back. My teacher set up an exhibit and there were a group of people who bought all three of my paintings. I ended up getting $10, 000_ _for them! And one of the ladies commissioned me to do another one, said she'd pay me another $3, 000!" _

"Wow… you must be good." Was all Tia could say in response. "I'd be _delighted_ to help, Blaine. And this is going to mean the world to him, you know."

"_I hope so. I should've never let him go, and I just hope this makes up for it. Even if just a little bit."_


	13. Go the Distance

**A/N:** Okay, okay. I apologize for the long wait on this. I had troubles with the beginning and then computer problems so I had to restart. I hope you enjoy none the less, and thank you _so, so much_ for the wonderful support you've given me throughout this fanfiction. Wow, okay. It sounds like I'm saying goodbye. I'm not. This isn't over quite yet. Not quite. I've actually got a bit more planned out.

Anyway, lots of music in this one! Lets seee... We've got _I'll Try_ from Disney's Peter Pan II, _Can't Get Enough of You_ by R5, _Damn Girl_ by the All-American Rejects, _Lovesick_ by Emily Osment, _She's So Lovely_ by Scouting for Girls and _Days of Summer_ from A Very Potter Sequel! Please go check out the music, it's lovely!

* * *

**13. Go The Distance**

* * *

Blaine was pleasantly surprised with how well his plans were working out on such little notice. He had made agreements with Tia to take Kurt shopping on Thursday; because Blaine knew he wouldn't be able to pull it all together for Wednesday, even if he did want to be there to congratulate Kurt on his last night. He told his teacher that he would be missing another couple of days of classes, but Mr. Frantica knew that Blaine was only in the class to get the degree; he didn't need anything more to be taught to him.

"_He's a bit reluctant, but I promised him a Grande Low Fat Mocha and gave him full permission to pick out an outfit for my 'date'." _

"Thanks, Tia. Seriously, this means the world to me." Blaine said with all his heart.

"_Oh, I know. But you owe me, Blaine. Have you ever given Kurt permission to style you? I practically just sold my soul." _

Blaine chuckled as he plucked at his guitar strings. "Alright, alright. I'll repay you somehow."

"_Is that… Teenage Dream?" _Tia asked after a moment of listening to Blaine's playing. _"I haven't heard that song in __**years!**_"

"Well… it's like our song, Kurt and I. It's what I sang for him when we met, after all."

"_Oh, that __**was**__ Teenage Dream, wasn't it?" _They shared a moment of reminisce, both smiling brightly. Blaine thought about the times he had sung with Kurt; Their duet at Christmas, Regional's, Graduation. Each time the crowd disappeared for the two and it was just them, singing to one another. Two teens happily in love. Blaine couldn't help but notice how far they'd come… how much they'd grown. Sure, they both had their fare share of rough patches, and they lost contact, but the only thing that matters is the fact that, in the end, they were brought back together.

"_So are the plans set in stone, then?"_

_

* * *

_"Kurt," Tia whined as he dragged her around the mall. They'd been shopping for over four hours, and Tia was on her sixth cup of coffee. Kurt had managed to pick out not one, but three outfits for her and insisted that she looked gorgeous in each one and that she just _had_ to buy them. Tia glanced at the time on her iPhone. It was four; Blaine wanted them back within the hour. "Are we done yet? I've got enough clothes!"

"But, Tia I saw these gorgeous boots that would look fantastic with that skirt that we—"

"—Kurt, seriously. I've got enough. We don't we just go home? Maybe stop by your place for a couple of drinks in celebration of our first night off?"

With a sigh Kurt stopped trying to drag her towards the designer shoe store. "I suppose. They were really cute boots, though."

Tia hooked her arm through Kurt's as they walked towards the exit of the building. She began to nervously drum her fingers on Kurt's arm as they waited for Kurt's limo to come pick them up, and it didn't go unnoticed. "What's up, Tia? You seem a bit… on edge."

"I'm just, er, nervous for my… date tonight! I really like him and I'm nervous he'll stop liking me." A sigh escaped her lips and Tia was thankful of being on Broadway, it made her decent at improv.

"Oh, that's nonsense, Tia! He'll love you, of course!" When the limo arrived, Kurt graciously opened the door and allowed Tia to step in first. As Kurt was climbing in, Tia sent a quick text to Blaine.

_We're on our way now. Be ready, hobbit._ She quickly placed the phone back in her purse, knowing Blaine was smarter then to text back. As Randy drove along Tia tried to listen but found herself becoming increasingly worried for what's to come. Blaine had two days to plan everything, and with everything that had to be worked out? She still couldn't believe he pulled it off.

"Tia are you even listening?"

"What?"

"Geez you're out of it today. It can't seriously be all about that guy."

Tia opened her mouth to speak, but was saved by Randy announcing their arrival. She quickly jumped out, grabbing the bags from the limo herself. She quickly hooked her arm in Kurt's as they walked into his building and dropped her bags off at the front desk. The lady working there gave Tia the slightest of nods, as was arranged by Blaine. Tia breathed a sigh of relief. Kurt continued to talk as they waited for the elevator, but all Tia could do was nod at what she hoped were the appropriate places. Her heartbeat quickened as the elevator went up, and she had to struggle to hold in her excitement when they reached Kurt's floor. _It's now or never,_ she thought with a smile.

* * *

Kurt tried to ignore how out of it Tia was as they stood in the elevator. He doubted it was all over a guy, but she obviously wasn't planning on telling him the real reason any time soon. Her mood seemed to change slightly when they reached Kurt's floor, and it was making him suspicious. She seemed eager to get to his apartment. Kurt decided to play innocent and pretend not to realize as they walked to his door. He struggled slightly, but managed to unlock it.

"_Surprise!" _

Kurt let out a strangled scream, jumping at least a foot in the air. Before he could register what was happening, Kurt was pulled into a big group hug.  
"…Mercedes?" He asked tensely.

"Yeah!" She replied happily as the arms around Kurt were removed, giving him the chance to look around. All of his old friends were there; even Lauren.

"Ohmygod. How did you all get here?"

Blaine stepped out from behind Finn, rubbing the back of his neck nervously as he smiled nervously at Kurt. "Surprise?"

Kurt found himself frozen in place, staring at Blaine with wide eyes. The whole room was silent and Kurt knew Blaine was holding his breath. After a few eerily quiet moments, Kurt snapped back into reality and threw himself into Blaine's arms, causing them both to stumble back as Blaine tried to support all his weight. He felt Blaine's warm breath on his neck as the sorter man gave a relieved sigh. Kurt pulled back only enough to stare into Blaine's beautiful hazel eyes. "How did you…?" Kurt asked, trailing off.

Blaine simply shook his head. "Details aren't important. I just… I knew how much you missed them all."

"I never said…"

Kurt felt Blaine's fingertips ghost over his cheekbone as he stared lovingly into Kurt's eyes. "You didn't have to," He whispered.

Kurt gently pulled Blaine's face to his, pressing their lips together hesitantly. They both let out a sigh of relief and Kurt felt as if he was home. Everyone around them disappeared as they melted into each other for the first time in five years. Blaine lifted Kurt off the ground slightly, and Kurt couldn't help but smile as he kicked his legs up. He felt like a seventeen year old boy again.

Unfortunately they were yanked back to Kurt's living room when Finn let out an awkward cough. Kurt placed his feet back on the ground and moved to step away from Blaine, but instead he felt Blaine shift slightly so his arm was around Kurt's waist.

"So," Puck began, "As much as we'd all love to sit and watch you two suck face, Blaine promised us a celebration!"

Kurt felt his face redden at Puck's wording, and the mohawked man smiled smugly.

"I guess I did, didn't I?" Blaine said from beside Kurt. "Well, I thought maybe we could hit that karaoke club down the road, if anyone's up for it?"

There were a chorus of cheers, and the room was so carefree that Kurt didn't even complain about being unable to change his clothes before he was dragged out of his apartment.

* * *

When the group arrived at the karaoke club, they found it to be mostly empty. Kurt asked the waiter if they could be seated next to the stage, and with him being who he was, the waiter assured him it was no problem.

Once they ordered a round of drinks, Kurt was pushed to the stage. "But guys!" He complained, "Why? I haven't heard you guys in-"

"-Just go!"

Kurt walked over to the karaoke machine, selecting his song with a smile. He grabbed the blinged out mic, and was instantly reminded of Rachel's party all those years ago. Kurt's smile grew as he began to sing.

_You knock me off of my feet_

_Can hardly breathe_

_When you're around me I feel the heat_

_Your steam of demurs_

_You make me shift gears_

_Sometimes I can't think all that clear. _

_I'm loosing sleep_

_I'm counting sheep like 1, 2, 3_

_Let's go!_

Kurt smiled brighter when Finn and Puck accompanied him with the background vocals. He honestly felt as if he was back in Glee Club.

_You hypnotize me_

_You mesmerize me_

_Way-oh, way-oh_

_Way over my head and I don't know what to do_

'_Cause I can't get enough_

_Of you_

_Secure you like an equation_

_And I'm not good in math_

_You're very confusing_

_My heart's in a trap_

_I don't see your signs_

_Busting through the lines_

_And I just can't understand your mind._

By this point most of the club had turned their attention to Kurt, and he had to admit that for a song that was in a genre he didn't usually sing in, he was rocking it.

_I'm loosing sleep_

_I'm counting sheep like 1, 2, 3_

_Let's go!_

_You hypnotize me_

_You mesmerize me_

_Way-oh, way-oh_

_Way over my head and I don't know what to do_

'_Cause I can't get enough_

_Of you_

Kurt danced towards Blaine for the instrumental pause, smiling smugly as he saw Blaine blush before crossing his legs. Kurt was glad he could still do that to him.

_You hypnotize me_

_You mesmerize me_

_Way-oh, way-oh_

_Way over my head and I don't know what to do_

_You hypnotize me_

_You mesmerize me_

_Way-oh, way-oh_

_Way over my head and I don't know what to do_

'_Cause I can't get enough_

_Of you_

By the time he finished the song, Kurt was breathless. He could dance and sing on stage every night without his voice wavering in the slightest, but the rush he got in the company of all his friends… _that's_ what left him breathless. Once he took his seat again, Puck stood up.

"This is for my girl, Lauren. Love you babe," He said simply before starting his song. Kurt almost rolled his eyes. Of course Puck would sing something by the All-American rejects.

_If you feel like running today_

_You know I'd understand_

_You don't _

_But you won't_

_It's easier to get away  
When on the other hand  
You know I'm not much better without you  
I'm like your victim and all that you need is an alibi  
It's one thing about you  
I don't wanna make you cry_

_Damn girl  
Dry your eyes  
You stole my heart and then you kicked it aside  
No girl, you can't see  
When he's inside you know there's no room for me_

As Kurt listened to the lyrics, he couldn't help but wonder if something had gone down between the two. The song implied that they had been together, but had split. Or did Puck just like the song? Kurt decided he was probably just over thinking it, taking a swig of his drink instead of dwelling more on the subject.

_If you can take a chance  
Find you that better man  
A life seize from your quick disease  
You're givin' all my lovin away  
Tell me to understand  
'Cause you know_

_I'm not much better without you  
I'll press your lips and I taste everyone that you've had tonight  
It's one thing about you  
I don't wanna taste tonight_

_Damn girl  
Dry your eyes  
You stole me heart and then you kicked it aside  
No girl you can't see  
When he's inside you know there's no room for me_

_And I used to think that I was all you would need  
Nah nah nah  
There you go again  
Nah nah nah  
Oooh you think that you could just push me around  
Nah nah nah  
Yeah there you go again  
You lift me up and then you throw me back down_

_Damn girl  
Dry your eyes  
You stole my heart and then you kicked it aside  
No girl you can't see  
When he's inside you know there's no room for me_

_Damn girl  
Dry your eyes  
You stole me heart and then you kicked it aside  
No girl you can't see  
When he's inside you know there's no room for me  
And I used to think that I was all you would need_

_If you feel like running today you know I'd understand_

The song ended and Puck got a large round of applause from his audience. He smiled brightly before taking his seat next to Lauren. Kurt watched out of the corner of his eye as she reached over to pull him into a kiss. It seemed sad. Kurt was itching to know what happened there, but Blaine was suddenly taking the stage.

Blaine turned to his small audience before flashing Kurt a smile. The music began to play, soft piano, and the tune sounded familiar, though Kurt couldn't place his finger on what the song was. Blaine's angelic voice filled the air. _Wow,_ Kurt thought to himself, _never described anyone's voice as 'angelic' before._ But he knew the moment it entered his thoughts that it was the only way _to_ truly describe the beauty that was Blaine's voice.

_I am not a child now__  
__I can take care of myself__  
__I mustn't let them down now__  
__Mustn't let them see me cry__  
__I'm fine__, __I'm fine_

_I'm to tired to listen__  
__I'm too old to believe__  
__All these childish stories__  
__There is no such thing as faith__  
__And trust__  
__And pixie dust_

Kurt's eyes filled with tears as he listened to Blaine sing such a beautiful, innocent song that was still somehow relevant to the two of them. Blaine always seemed to have more of a child's heart to Kurt; always open, always accepting. Always loving. And this song, this amazing song seemed to fit his life so perfectly. Which is why it broke Kurt's heart so much.

_I try__  
__But its to hard to believe__  
__I try__  
__But I can't see what you see__  
__I try__, __I try__, __I try_

_My whole world is changing__  
__I don't know where to turn__  
__I can't leave you baby__  
__But I cant stay and watch the sitting burn__  
__Watch it burn_

_'Cause I try__  
__But its so hard to believe__  
__I try__  
__But I can't see where you see__  
__I try__, __I try_

_I try and try__  
__To understand__  
__The distance in between__  
__The love I feel__  
__The things I fear__  
__I dearly say good dream__  
__I can finally see it__  
__Now I have to believe__  
__All those precious stories__  
__All the world is made of faith__  
__And trust__  
__And pixie dust_

_So I'll try__  
__'Cause I finally believe__  
__I'll try__  
__'Cause I see where you see__  
__I'll try__, __I'll try__, __I'll try, I'll try__  
__To fly_

Once Blaine was finished and seated comfortably beside Kurt, who grabbed his hand tightly the moment he sat down, Rachel had pranced her way to the stage. Kurt had to admit that her wardrobe choices had definitely improved since high school.

"Finn, honey, this is for you." She said with a smile. She lifted the mic up and everyone could plainly see the diamond ring on her ring finger. Kurt heart some murmurs of confusion, but Rachel chose to ignore them as the upbeat techno music began.

_You're so mono  
__Together__, we could be stereo st-st-st-stereo love  
You look so low, low  
Together, we can get high hi-fi st-st-st-stereo  
Boom, boom, supersonic boom, supersonic boom  
You make my heart go boom, boom  
Boom, boom, supersonic boom, supersonic boom  
You make my heart go supersonic boom, supersonic boom_

Kurt tried his hardest to suppress the giggles threatening to overcome him at Rachel's song choice. He had to admit it was very _her_, very mainstream. He also noticed that her voice sounded great without the help of auto tune that made the original so amazing.

_You got me high  
You got me low  
You make, make me go, go out of control  
I l-l-like the way we flow  
Let's go, go, go  
Get me that sensory overload  
Got me got me love  
Got me love  
Got me lovesick  
Got me got me love  
Got me love  
You got me lovesick_

_Turn it up, Turn it up, Turn it up, Turn it up, Turn it up, Turn it up, Turn it up  
You turn it up_

_You're the __needle__scratching__ on my vinyl g-g-gambling with that delicious __thing__  
It takes two to __dance__  
Four on __the floor__  
Hot like an 808, Hot like an 808, Hot like an 808, Hot like an 808  
Boom, boom, supersonic boom, supersonic boom  
You make my heart go boom, boom  
Boom, boom, supersonic boom, supersonic boom  
You make my heart go supersonic boom, supersonic boom_

Rachel began to dance around Finn, smiling down at him as she belted the lyrics. Though Rachel seemed artificial at times, Kurt could clearly see the love in her eyes as she continued to hold eye contact with his step-brother.

_You got me high  
You got me low  
You make make me go, go out of control  
I l-l-like the way we flow_

_Let's go, go, go  
Get me that sensory overload  
Got me got me love  
Got me love  
Got me lovesick  
Got me got me love  
Got me love  
You got me lovesick_

_Turn it up, Turn it up, Turn it up, Turn it up, Turn it up, Turn it up, Turn it up  
You turn it up_

_Radioactive now you can't stop it we're gonna party all night  
Radioactive you know we got it we're gonna party all night  
Radioactive super hypnotic we're gonna party all night  
Radioactive now you can't stop it  
We're gonna  
We're gonna, gonna  
We're gonna  
We're gonna, gonna_

_Boom, boom supersonic boom, supersonic boom  
Boom, boom supersonic boom, boom, boom, boom_

_You got me high  
You got me low  
You make make me go, go out of control  
I l-l-like the way we flow  
Let's go go, go  
Get me that sensory overload  
Got me got me love  
Got me love  
Got me lovesick  
Got me got me love  
Got me love  
You got me lovesick_

_Turn it up, Turn it up, Turn it up, Turn it up, Turn it up, Turn it up, Turn it up  
You turn it up_

_Boom, boom, supersonic boom, supersonic boom  
You make my heart go boom, boom  
Boom, boom, supersonic boom, supersonic boom  
You make my heart go supersonic boom, supersonic boom_

She ended on a strong note and got an even louder applause then Puck had. Kurt smiled brightly at her as she walked by, and she gave him a wink. One of the waiters approached Kurt nervously before asking him if he would sing another song, by the request of the customers. Kurt looked at Blaine, who nodded in approval, before getting up and going back over to the karaoke machine. He smiled when he saw the perfect song.  
"'Cedes, this is for you." He said simply before taking center stage again. This song was quite upbeat, and nothing like what Kurt normally sang, but it was one of his favorites.

_I love the way she fills her clothes  
She looks just like them girls in vogue  
I love the way she plays it cool  
I think that she is beautiful_

_She's so lovely, She's so lovely, She's so lovely, She's so lovely  
She's so lovely, She's so lovely, She's so lovely, She's so lovely _

_She's Pretty, a fitty  
She's got a boyfriend though and that's a pitty  
She's flirty so flirty  
And that kind of girl that's really dirty_

_I don't know, I don't know, I don't know  
How we'll make it through this  
I don't know, I don't know, I don't know_

_I love the way she bites her lip  
I love the way she shakes them hips  
I love the way she makes me drool  
I think that she is beautiful_

Kurt knew that to anyone outside of the group of friends in front of him, it probably looked as if he was serenading her, but he could care less about the rumours that would spread in the morning, because this was for 'Cedes. His best friend. He would sing whatever the hell he wanted to her, and people could deal with that.

_She's so lovely, She's so lovely, She's so lovely, She's so lovely  
She's so lovely, She's so lovely, She's so lovely, She's so lovely_

_A stunner, I want her  
Was she this fit when she was 10 years younger?  
Come see me discreetly.  
She says she's got a trick or two to teach me._

_I don't know, I don't know, I don't know  
How we'll make it through this, How we'll make it through this, How we'll make it through this  
I don't know, I don't know, I don't know_

_I think that you are lovely, I think that you are lovely, I think that you are lovely, I think that you are lovely  
I think that you are lovely, I think that you are lovely, I think that you are lovely  
I think that you are beautiful_

_She's so lovely, She's so lovely, She's so lovely, She's so lovely  
She's so lovely, She's so lovely, She's so lovely, She's so lovely_

_I don't know, I don't know, I don't know  
How we'll make it through this, How we'll make it through this, How we'll make it through this  
I don't know, I don't know, I don't know_

The song ended and there was another loud applause. Kurt placed the microphone back in it's holder before turning back to the group. He didn't expect to find them all standing around the karaoke machine.  
"Kurt! Kurt! C'mere!" Brittany called, "Come help us choose a song to sing!"  
Kurt headed over with a laugh, and searched through the songs with his friends. Blaine pointed to one, and everyone let out a laugh before agreeing that it was perfect. They remembered performing the same song on their last day together.  
The piano played softly before Finn started off with the first line.

_We've got these days of summer to remind us of each other_

Rachel stepped in beside him, grabbing his hand before singing the next line.

_The time we have to spend apart will keep us in each other's hearts_

Blaine stepped forward next, smiling to the couple beside him.

_I'm hoping that the good old days are something I will dream about at night_

Kurt stepped forward now, grabbing Blaine's hand and squeezing.

_Don't matter if it's sooner or later, I know that it's going to be alright_

The rest of his friends stepped forward as they chorused with the four, all the voices harmonizing together almost perfectly.

_Don't wanna see you go, but it's not forever, not forever  
Even if it was you know that I would never let it get me down  
'Cause you're the part of me that makes me better  
Wherever I go_

_So I'll try  
Not to cry  
When no one needs to say goodbye. _

There was an instrumental break and they all began to dance wildly. Kurt knew they looked like a mess of flying limbs, but everyone was laughing and it felt just like old times. Kurt wanted to cry tears of joy. There were catcalls as Brittany and Mike stepped forward to break into some decent dance moves.

_Awwwww, yeah!  
Don't wanna see you go, but it's not forever, not forever!  
Even if it was you know that I would never let it get me down  
'Cause you're the part of me that makes me better  
Wherever I go_

_So I'll try  
Not to cry  
When no one needs to say goodbye!_

By the end of the song, no one was worried about their voices sounding good. Almost everyone on stage had tears in their eyes as they pulled together for a hug. Laughter filled the little bar, and Kurt was smiling so hard his cheek muscles began to hurt. But he was with his friends, and he could care less. After tonight Kurt vowed to keep in contact. With _all _of them, not just his brother and sister-in law.


	14. Right Where I Belong

**14. Right Where I Belong  
**

* * *

Kurt snuggled closer to Blaine under the warm sheets of his bed. The moonlight shone through his window, defining the features of Blaine's face. He found himself staring at Blaine's sleeping form, his eyes wandering over the smooth curve of his lips, the shape of his jaw, the curve of his neck. Kurt had the urge to kiss his way up that neck and across that jaw line before placing a tender kiss to his lips, and he was about to do just that when he heard Finn snore loudly from the guest room.

_Oh, right,_ Kurt thought, _I suppose they wouldn't be too happy overhearing anything like that._ So instead he placed his head gently back on Blaine's chest, his ear pressed against the cotton of his shirt. He could feel the steady rise and fall of Blaine's chest, and he could hear his heartbeat in his ear. Kurt also felt it when Blaine stirred, pulling Kurt close to him as his eyes drifted open. Once Blaine took notice of his surroundings, his arms around a warm body, he smiled down at Kurt.

"Hi," He whispered into the silence. Kurt could feel his warm breath on the tip of his nose, and it sent shivers down his spine.

"Hey," Kurt replied simply before pushing himself onto his elbows and kissing Blaine's jaw, just as he'd wanted to. Kurt slowly made his way to Blaine's lips, leaving a trail of gentle kisses across his jaw, placing one chaste kiss against his lips before moving his head back to its place on Blaine's chest. They slipped into a comfortable silence, Blaine hugging Kurt tightly to his chest as he doodled with his fingers on Kurt's back, and Kurt listening to Blaine's heartbeat pleasantly. It was a few moments before either of them spoke, and when Kurt did speak up, it was a whisper.

"I love you."

"Oh, Kurt," Blaine sighed, kissing the top of his head before continuing, "I've loved you for as long as I can remember- ever since that day on the staircase, even. And am I ever glad it was _me_ you stopped there. Imagine if it would've been Jeff or Trent."

Kurt let out a giggle, "I don't know if I could see myself here, like this, with Jeff."

"Good, he's straight. And you're mine." They both laughed freely, even if the joke wasn't funny, they were giddy off each other's company.

"Blaine?"

"Yeah?"

"…What happens in the morning?" Kurt asked nervously. As much as he tried to push it to the back of his mind, the question had been eating him all day. He loved this, he loved being here with his friends and with Blaine, but he knew it had to end and he just… he wanted to know where he'd be at that point.

"What do you mean?"

"Well… obviously you all have to leave; I know that, but… but what about _us_ Blaine? What's going to happen to _us_?"

"I… well; I could stay here if you'd have me."

"But Blaine you're still going to school."

Blaine sighed, and Kurt felt his breath on his neck, causing a delightful shiver to run down his spine again. "I know, Kurt, but in all honesty? It's just a degree. It's not important to me. I can attend school wherever and whenever. What's important to me is _you_, and _being with you._ I've waited five years to be back here, back with you in my arms, and I don't know if I can wait any longer."

Kurt's heartbeat quickened at Blaine's words, sheer joy filling him. How on earth did he end up with someone so beautiful? And oh how Kurt wished he could tell Blaine that, yes, he wanted him to stay, but Kurt knew how good it felt to live your dreams, and Blaine needed that too. A thought came into Kurt's mind, and he blurted it out before thinking.

"What if I came to live with you? I could find a job and help pay rent and… and then we'd still be together but you'd… er, you'd be able to go to school… still…" Kurt's voice trailed off and he wanted more than anything to take back what he just said, no matter how true it may be. Instead he buried his face into Blaine's shirt, closing his eyes tightly and waiting for Blaine to reject his idea immediately.

"You'd… you'd want that?" Blaine asked hesitantly and Kurt's eyes flew open in shock. He looked up at Blaine with wide eyes.

"Yes!" Kurt replied quickly, "Yes, of course I would!"

"I couldn't make you leave New York, Kurt. You've wanted to live here your whole life, and you're on Broadway… how can I take you away from that?"

"Your right," Kurt replied simply, "I have wanted to live here my whole life, and I did live here. I got to be on Broadway, I even played a role in a movie, but now I just want to be with you for a little bit. Ever since I got discovered it's been go, go, go. I was planning on taking a break already, and I can't think of any better way to spend it then with you."

Kurt held his breath and waited for Blaine to respond. He could easily reject Kurt and… and, well, Kurt would have to find a way to deal with that. Luckily, that wouldn't be the case.

"Well, in that case, I would be honoured to have you stay with me. I must warn you ahead of time, though, about my apartment. It's tiny, it's cluttered, it's a mess, and it's only got one bedroom. Oh, and the fridge is broken half the time, dishwasher the other half. And I don't exactly _own_ a washer or dryer; I have to go to the coin wash down the road. And the-"

"Your fridge is broken? What do you _eat_?"

"I'm a student, Kurt; I live off of cold take-out and Luke-warm beer." Kurt inwardly cringed at Blaine's diet, and he knew the first thing that was happening when he got to Blaine's home was getting that fridge replaced. Kurt was _not_ living off that.

"But… but I _can_ come stay with you?"

"Yes, Kurt," Blaine said and I felt rather then heard him laugh, "Yes, of course you can. If you're up for it."

"That sounds like a challenge, Blaine Anderson." Kurt said cryptically, lifting his head to look Blaine in the eye.

"Maybe it is," Was Blaine's response as he smirked.

* * *

Kurt woke early the next morning to the sun shining brightly through his open blinds. He reached to his left, his eyes still closed tight to the brightness, searching for Blaine's warmth. When his fingertips touched the coolness of blankets that had long since been unoccupied, Kurt's eyes shot open. His heart clenched painfully when he realized that, sure enough, Blaine was no where to be seen. Blaine was _gone?_ But they had… they'd agreed mere hours ago that Kurt would be going to live with Blaine.

_Oh god, he changed his mind._ Kurt thought bitterly. He closed his eyes again, curling in on himself and trying to become smaller. Kurt hated the tears he felt stinging his eyes, he hated that he thought Blaine was going to stick around, he _hated_ that he thought life was suddenly going to be completely perfect. Life wasn't perfect, that was the cold truth of it, and Kurt shouldn't have thought any different.

"K-Kurt?" Kurt looked up so quickly he felt his neck crack. He looked through a teary haze, just barely making out Blaine standing in his doorway with too mugs in hand. He quickly placed the mugs down upon seeing Kurt, running over to scoop him into his arms. "Kurt what's wrong?"

"Oh my god, I feel so stupid." Kurt said into Blaine's shirt as he clung helplessly to him.

"Why?"

"I… I thought you left."

"Kurt I could never do that to you. Not again." Blaine took a deep breath before tightening his grip and speaking barely above a whisper. "Kurt, I… I feel _horrible_ for leaving like that last time, and I could never _ever_ do that to you again. I love you so much, Kurt, and I promise you I will stay for as long as you want me."

"What about when you get tired of me being such a clean freak, and a heath nut, and my tendency to boss you around, and-"

"Kurt, I love everything about you. Your flaws make you beautiful Kurt."

Kurt let out a choked laugh, tears in his eyes for a completely different reason now. He beamed at Blaine, "What is this, a romance novel?"

Blaine feigned horror, but they both started laughing. When Kurt tried to slide out of his grasp, Blaine tackled him back onto the bed, tickling him. Kurt was howling with laughter and kicking his legs, so Blaine straddled him before resuming the torture. When he stopped to let Kurt breathe, he was close enough that their noses were touching. Deciding he wasn't even going to try and resist, Blaine pressed his lips to Kurt's. Kurt stiffened in shock, but after a moment he melted into it.

Sadly, Finn barged into the room, interrupting them yet again. Kurt let out a frustrated groan. "Oh my good god, Finn, _what?"_

"I-er- I was supposed to- but… Ohmygod, okay I'm leaving." He rambled before scurrying from the room.

Blaine tried to press his lips to Kurt's again, but this time Mercedes voice came from his doorway, "Oh, _hell to the naw, _Kurt. You are _not_ going to sit in here and make out with your boyfriend while we sit around and _wait_ for you two to finish. I'd like to spend my last day here with you, if that's okay?"

Kurt's cheeks turned a very bright shade of red, and Blaine climbed off him with a chuckle. Kurt shoved his boyfriend lightly before climbing out of bed. "Alright, 'Cedes, I'll be out in a minute."

* * *

Kurt spent the remainder of the day showing everyone around New York. He showed the girls the hottest shopping spots (managing to get them all a little something to remember the trip by), and he showed all the guys some of the more "manly" things he had experienced, though there weren't many.

At three the group stumbled into one of Kurt's favorite New York Pizza places, Denino's Pizzeria. One of the reasons why Kurt loved it so much was how homey it was. The waitress working seemed to be genuinely happy to be working there, and as she led them to their table she explained that the Pizzeria had been owned by her family since 1937. Kurt leaned back against Blaine as his friends chatted excitedly, a content smile in his place.

"So, are you having fun?" Kurt shivered at the feel of Blaine's breath of his neck as he whispered in Kurt's ear.

"Yes," Kurt shifted so he was facing Blaine, staring into his warm and inviting eyes, "Thank you Blaine, for everything. I really missed them all and… just thank you. For knowing and for bringing them here."

Blaine pressed his forehead against Kurt's, "I just wanted to see this smile again." Blaine touched Kurt's lip gently, "You don't know how much I've missed seeing this smile."

Everything around the couple fell away as they gazed lovingly into each other's eyes. Kurt was positive they looked like a couple of love-drunk teens, but at that moment that's how he felt, and to hell if he wasn't going to express that.

After lunch, time seemed to fly by. Before he knew it, Kurt was at the airport. He was saying goodbye to his friends again and there was hugging and tears, and promises that they'd keep in contact this time. And for once? For once, Kurt had a feeling they would. Before he really knew what was happening, Kurt and Blaine were back at his apartment and the silence felt strange. Blaine led Kurt to the balcony, pulling him into a tight embrace as they gazed out over the beauty of New York. For tonight, they would just _be_ together, but tomorrow Kurt would start planning his move to Blaine's, and his heart fluttered at the thought. He was moving in with Blaine, they were going to be together, and it was going to be lovely.

* * *

**A/N:** So. That's that, eh? ...Actually, no. I do have plans to continue, if anyone wants to hear more? It'd only be a couple more chapters. (This fic shouldn't end up being more than 20 chapters.) So, er, yeah... Would you like to read more or should I just... end it?

Other than that, thank you! You all leave such lovely reviews and all the story alerts and favorites and just... thank you so much! It really means a lot. :)


	15. Beautiful Day

**A/N: **Hello guys! I am _so_ sorry for the ridiculously long wait. I'm not going to start giving excuses, but I am sorry. I hope to get the next couple of chapters out a bit quicker (Fingers crossed!). I hope that you enjoy this chapter none the less, and once again, thank you _so much_ for all the support!

* * *

**15. Beautiful Day**

* * *

Blaine stopped abruptly in front of his apartment door, turning to face Kurt. He couldn't help but worry his lip as he stared through his lashes at the taller man. Kurt was a very… clean person, and Blaine's apartment was, well… Blaine's apartment was a pigsty.

"What is it, Blaine?"

"Just… brace yourself, okay?" Blaine turned back to his door and shoved the key into the lock. It was sticky, as always, and he had to fight with it a bit. When he heard the familiar click of the door unlocking, Blaine pushed the door open wide, closing his eyes and waiting for Kurt's horrified gasp. When he heard none, Blaine opened one eye. Kurt had walked past him and into the small space of his apartment living room/kitchen.

"Well it's… cozy." He said simply before walking to Blaine's fridge and opening it to find it, as expected, empty. "Wow, okay. You weren't kidding about the take-out and luke-warm beer, were you?"

Kurt looked back at Blaine, who was still standing in the open doorway. He walked over and gently touched Blaine's cheek. "Blaine?"

"…You didn't run screaming." He whispered.

"Oh, c'mon!" Kurt exclaimed, taking a step back and placing a hand on his hip, "I know I'm a bit… high maintenance, but… seriously!"

When Blaine let out a chuckle, Kurt's shoulder's relaxed a bit, though he still held his stance as he pouted at Blaine.

"I'm sorry, I just… I thought you'd hate me because… Well, let's be honest. My apartment looks like shit." Blaine sighed as he ran a hand nervously through his dark curls, which were all over the place from the flight. When he felt a hand on his cheek, Blaine looked up, his eyes meeting Kurt's.

"I would never _hate_ you, Blaine. Especially not because of the state of your apartment! Give me _some_ credit here," Kurt said with a soft laugh, "though we will have to make a few minor adjustments."

"Minor?" Blaine asked disbelievingly as he raised an eyebrow.

"Okay, not so minor." Kurt admitted as he looked around again. "Jesus, Blaine, how do you _see_ in here?"

Blaine's eyes widened in shock as he watched Kurt's receding back, which was heading straight for the curtains, "Wait Kurt, don't!" He exclaimed a moment too late, sunlight flooding into the space and illuminating all the dirty laundry, take out boxes, half-empty beer bottles and art supplies strewn around his apartment that were now visible.

"Okay… wow. We have _a lot_ of cleaning to do," Kurt muttered, picking up a pair of Blaine's, please god let them be clean, boxers and wrinkling his nose.

Blaine brought his hands to his face, trying to hide. His apartment as a whole obviously wasn't too bad, and he was positive that it'd be perfectly cozy for him and Kurt if it was even _slightly_ clean.

"Okay, let's go!" Kurt exclaimed out of nowhere.

"What—let's go-" Kurt grabbed Blaine's hand, dragging him towards the door, "Kurt, where are you taking me?"

"_You're_ taking _me_ to the Pikes Public Market. I have an idea," They paused momentarily at the door so Blaine could lock it. He was obviously still a bit confused, so Kurt placed a chaste kiss on his cheek before making eye contact, "You trust me, right?"

"With my life," Blaine said quickly, without a second thought.

* * *

The trip to Pikes Public Market proved to be… eventful, if Blaine had to put a word to it. Kurt had stocked up on organic cleaning supplies, obviously, but had also gotten paint and a rug and other objects that lead Blaine to believe Kurt was going to redecorate his apartment. Which was kind of a frightening thought.

When they got to the till and Blaine pulled out his credit card, Kurt tsked him. "Blaine, I can manage," When he opened his mouth to argue, Kurt pressed a finger to his lips, "Don't you dare try and argue with me Blaine Anderson."

Blaine raised his hands in defeat, though he couldn't hold back the smile that danced on his lips. Kurt looked positively _adorable_ with his hair still dishevelled from their flight and his cheeks tinted red from the running around they'd been doing.

After Kurt had paid, they walked out onto the streets of Seattle. Blaine was suddenly very thankful that his apartment was so close to Pikes, because even just walking a block with all the bags was going to be troublesome.

"Wow, it's really beautiful here at night," Kurt whispered, "and it's not as busy as New York."

"Yeah, I love it here. It's quiet when you need it to be, but it's got a night life too." They walked in silence for a few blocks, just enjoying the view and enjoying each other's presence.

"So do you have school tomorrow?"

"Sadly yes, but I'm thinking of just skipping."

"Blaine, no," Kurt said, giving him a firm look, "you're not missing school because of me."

"Kurt, it's no big deal. I'll just go get this week's project and work on it at home."

"No, no way. I will be working on, er, 'fixing' your apartment tomorrow. You're not going to be getting in the way."

"Kurt—"

"Blaine, you are going to school."

* * *

The next morning Blaine was woken up, bright and early, by Kurt. He was reminded once again that yes, he had to go to school and yes, he had to attend _all_ of his classes that day. So Blaine dragged himself out of bed, threw on a pair of very worn black jeans and a v-neck. Grabbing his sketchbook and his supplies, Blaine threw them in his Chinese Fireball bag he got from the _Wizarding World of Harry Potter. _

As he was about to walk out the door, Blaine saw Kurt leaning against his kitchen counter, a cup of coffee in his hands as he read the paper. His hair was still a bit messy, and he was still in a pair of Blaine's old pyjamas. Blaine couldn't resist going over and pressing a kiss to his cheek before leaving.

As he made his way to school, the day just felt generally brighter despite the rain and the fact that he didn't actually own an umbrella, so by the time he got to class his white shirt would be soaked through. The people he walked by gave him strange looks as they clutched their umbrellas. Everyone around him was walking swiftly, trying to hurry from one place to another. No one bothered to stop and look around, stop to take in the beautiful city around them.

_Jesus, what on earth was Kurt doing to his brain_, Blaine had to wonder. He was _not_ usually this cheesy.

When Blaine finally arrived to class, everyone was talking loudly and Mr. Frantica was no where to be found. Blaine tried to sneak his way into class, moving to the back corner of the room and placing his bag down as quietly as possible. Sadly, he was unsuccessful and he heard a whistle from the group at the front of the room.

"Wow, _someone_ looks foxy," Blaine had yet to turn around, but he knew Amanda well enough to know that she raised an eyebrow.

"Hello, Amanda." Blaine sighed, turning to face the group. Some of the girls' eyes widened as they stared at his torso. Oh, right. Wet white t-shirt. See-through.

"Looks like you do have something going on under there," She commented as she raised an eyebrow again.

"Uh…"

"So where did you run off to, Blaine?"

"What?" Blaine asked, receiving a blank stare from the blonde girl, "Oh… Uh, I had to go fix some things."

"Did any of those things have to do with a Mr. Kurt Hummel?" Blaine couldn't keep the smile hidden, and Amber definitely noticed. She let out an excited squeak before running over to him, sitting gracefully down on one of the stools and resting her head on her hands, the multiple orange bracelets clinking as they fell down her arms. She stared up at him expectantly.

"What? Why are you staring at me like that?"

"Well, we want all the details, don't we girls?" She looked over her shoulder at the remaining girls behind her and, as if on queue, they all ran forward. "Alright, lets hear it Blaine."

After a good hour, interrupted by the late entrance of Mr. Frantica, Blaine had finally told them his story, getting all sorts of 'Oo's' and 'Aah's'. Everyone seemed to find his little trip adorable, and many of the girls asked him if he could go and talk to their boyfriends about treating them right. All the girls, and even a few of the guys, insisted that Blaine hold a welcoming party for Kurt. Once he promised to talk to Kurt about it, they finally let Blaine leave.

It was just past one when he arrived back at his building, and he hoped that Kurt was okay. And home. Blaine really hoped that he would be home. He made his way up the stairs, a jump in his step. The lock still stuck as he attempted to unlock his front door, but it annoyed him a lot less than it usually did. Once it unlocked, Blaine through the door open.

"Honey, I'm home!" He yelled, laughing as he said it. Looking around, Blaine began to worry at the cleanliness of the apartment in front of him, and if it weren't for Kurt entering his view, Blaine would've thought he went to the wrong door.

"Kurt… Wow," was all Blaine could manage as he tried to take in his now _clean_ apartment. Gone were the piles of both clean and dirty clothes, the half-empty beer bottles and take-out containers and _wow, okay it's actually not that tiny._

"Welcome home," Kurt walked over to Blaine, placing a kiss on his cheek, "What do you think?"

"Kurt this is… Jesus, how did you clean it all? And in four hours?"

"Well, I want to make some… improvements, and that can't happen until it's _clean_." Kurt looked around at his hard work, smiling contently at how close he was to being finished. And now that Blaine was here, Kurt could convince him to help out a bit.

"Well it's cleaner then it's been in years."

"I'm glad you like it," Kurt moved closer to Blaine, wrapping his arms around Blaine's neck as he pressed himself against the shorter man. Kurt put on his most innocent voice and smiled sweetly at Blaine, "You know, now that you're home, you _could_ help my finish clean…"

Blaine groaned as he gripped Kurt's waist, nuzzling into his neck, "Kurt, do I _have_ to?"

* * *

**A/N: **One more thing, if anyone's interested in being in my story (Or a character of yours) as one of Blaine's classmates/friends, just drop me a message with a description of you/your characters physical appearance and personality. The next chapter is going to be Kurt's "Welcome Party" and I'm going to have to come up with characters anyway, so I'd love to include some of you!


	16. As Long As You're There

**A/N: **Hey guys, sorry for the incredibly long wait. But school's out, and I've only got one exam left, so I'll be updating quicker. I know I said this would be the big welcome party scene, but Blaine had other plans. So that's held off until next chapter. I apologize for the wait, and thank you for being patient. So, here it is, enjoy! :)

* * *

**16. As Long As You're There.**

* * *

Blaine walked into his apartment after another long day of classes, now that he actually attended them he realized how annoyingly long he had to be away from home… and Kurt. Instead of seeing the bleak white walls he was so used to, he saw the blue of the sky on a sunny day. Kurt was sitting on his couch and staring out the window where Blaine could just see the top of the Space Needle. A thought formed in his mind as a smirk formed on his face. Blaine walked over to the couch as quietly as possible before leaning down to whisper in Kurt's ear, "The paint looks great."

Kurt must've jumped a good foot in the air as he let out a scream that clearly displayed his years of Broadway experience. "Jesus Christ almighty, Blaine!"

Blaine chuckled as he walked around the couch to set beside Kurt, "Hello."

"Seriously, I thought you were like a serial killer or something, don't _do_ that!" Kurt tried to sound furious, but Blaine could tell he was trying his hardest not to smile. Blaine decided right then that he was taking Kurt to the Space Needle, as it was something everyone should experience at least once. So he stood up with a determined look and held out a hand for Kurt, who looked very confused.

"C'mon, I'm taking you somewhere."

"Where?" Kurt asked, still seated.

"It's a surprise," Blaine smiled, "But it's somewhere I go for inspiration."

"Blaine just tell me," Kurt said stubbornly, "You know I hate surprises."

"Well too bad, you can be surprised for just this once."

"No." Kurt crossed his arms across his chest and crossed his legs on the couch, clearly unwilling to budge. So Blaine left him on the couch and walked into the kitchen where he proceeded to call a cab. He then walked back into the living area where he picked Kurt up around the waist and threw him over his shoulder. Kurt let out another scream as he struggled, and Blaine grunted with the effort of holding him.

"Blaine, put me down!" He complained as Blaine headed to his front door, "Blaine I'm serious, this is not funny!"

Blaine opened his front door and stepped out before turning to struggling to lock it with Kurt flailing in his arms. "Blaine Anderson if you don't put me down right now I swear to god."

Blaine didn't give a response, instead heading down the stairs and to the front of their building, where the cab was thankfully waiting. Blaine opened the door and placed Kurt down on the seat and buckling his seatbelt for him.

"Stay put," he told Kurt simply before walking around to the other side of the cab and leaning down to tap on the driver's window. He kept an eye on Kurt (who sat with his arms crossed and a grimace on his face) as he told the driver where to take them and why he was holding Kurt like that. Blaine climbed into the back with Kurt and placed a hand gently on his hand.

"I'm sorry, Kurt, but you were being unreasonable."

"_Me?_ Blaine you just carried me down the stairs like a child!"

"Because you were being unreasonable!"

"You know I hate surprises!"

"Well too bad," Blaine said with finality. He watched as Kurt folded his arms across his chest and turned away from Blaine so he could stare out the window. Blaine had to admit that the image pulled on his heartstrings, so he scooted over and placed a chaste kiss on Kurt's cheek. "Just trust me, 'kay?"

"I hate you," Kurt responded, but Blaine could see his reflection on the window; he was smiling.

"No you don't," Blaine said playfully, "you looove me."

"Oh go away, you." Kurt could feel Blaine's breath on the back of his neck as he chuckled. They seemed to be getting close to the music museum that Kurt had heard about from Blaine before. He wondered if that was where they were going, but instead of turning in that direction, they continued forward. Continued towards the Space Needle. Kurt felt his stomach turn nervously at the thought, and he hoped that they would go past it.

The taxi stopped right in front of the Needle, and Kurt felt Blaine lean forward to pay the driver before getting out. Kurt felt like he was paralyzed. If it weren't for Blaine's gentlemanly ways, Kurt wouldn't have been able to get out of the cab. But when the door opened to reveal Blaine, who was smiling so brightly, Kurt forced himself to smile too. He remembered Blaine saying that this was where he got his inspiration, and that he wanted to share it with Kurt. How could he possibly turn Blaine down? So, despite the fact every fibre of his being was telling him not to, Kurt stepped out of the car, clutching onto Blaine's hand a bit too tightly. They walked over to the counters and Blaine bought two tickets, beaming at Kurt as they made their way to the surprisingly not busy elevator.

Kurt's heartbeat was beating faster then he'd felt it in a while, and he was becoming breathless. He clutched onto Blaine's arm, thankful when the shorter man slipped it around Kurt's shoulders and pulled him close. The elevator started to move upwards, and Kurt tried his hardest not to watch the receding ground. As they got higher and higher Kurt got more and more nervous. His grip on Blaine got tighter as he tried to hold the smile on his face. They were nearly at the top when Kurt gave up, instead turning into Blaine and hiding his face in Blaine's neck.

"Kurt?" He asked, "Kurt, what's wrong?"

"I'mafraidofheights," he murmured quickly into Blaine's neck.

"Pardon?"

"I'm afraid of heights," Kurt repeated clearly, though he didn't open his eyes.

Kurt felt a Blaine's lightly cup his cheek, tilting his head so he was staring at him, "Kurt, why didn't you _tell _me?"

"Because you looked so happy and eager to show me," Kurt replied sadly, "And this is where you get your inspiration and I just… I didn't want to turn that down."

"If you would've told me, I would've understood," Blaine smiled, looking deeply into Kurt's eyes as he held his face in his hands, "You need to understand that I will never, _ever_ mind that you can't see something, or do something, because you're afraid. I will never force you to do anything that you don't wanna do, and if that means making a few sacrifices, that means making a few sacrifices."

Kurt's smile grew as Blaine spoke, and when he had finished Kurt had tears in his eyes. "Thank you, Blaine."

"Of course," Blaine pressed his lips to Kurt's forehead gently, "Now why don't we go back home and I'll make you some dinner?"

After a moment's hesitation, Kurt shook his head, "I think I… I think I want to face this fear, and with you by my side I'm sure I'll be fine."

Blaine moved away from him, but before Kurt could panic he felt Blaine behind him, hands covering Kurt's eyes. "Just trust me," he whispered directly into Kurt's ear, who shivered at the feeling of Blaine's breath on his neck. They began to walk forward, and Kurt squeezed his covered eyes shut, just allowing himself to be led on. It was a moment before they stopped and Blaine was again speaking gently in his ear, "Okay, deep breaths."

Kurt took a deep breath as he felt Blaine remove his hands, but he kept his eyes closed. "Kurt," Blaine said softly, hands now on his waist, "open your eyes."

Kurt did as he was told, slowly opening his eyes. He gasped loudly at how high up they were, and stepped back slightly to feel Blaine right behind him, holding him tightly now and whispering encouragements to him. Kurt took a deep breath and looked down. The ground looked so, so far away and he knew that if Blaine wasn't there he'd feel as if he was going to just fall. But Blaine was there, and his strong arms around Kurt's waist reassured him that they were fine, they were safe. So Kurt looked out over Seattle. He had to admit that the view of the city from up here was absolutely breathtaking; he could see how it was such an inspiration to Blaine.

They spent a few more moments just staring out into the city before Blaine led them back to the elevator. Kurt wasn't over his fear of heights, no where near it, and he knew that if he had to go up there alone again he wouldn't be able to. But with Blaine beside him? Kurt felt like he could accomplish anything.

"Thank you," He whispered, settling back into the crook of Blaine's arm and closing his eyes again. This time he didn't have to try to smile.


	17. Be Prepared

**A/N:** Oh my goodness. I think that was the longest gap I've had between stories. I'm so _so_ sorry for that. Hollidays, exams, etc. I won't make excuses. But this chapter is only two words short of 5, 000, making it the longest chapter yet! There's a party, a problem and a next happy ending. Even though this isn't actually the end. **This story does not end here.** Just repeating that, in bold, because I _always_ get reviews asking if this is it. I will tell you guys when we're almost done, 'kay? I apologize to anyone written into this story by request that are unhappy with their character. Since I only know a few of you personally, a lot of this was me just making it up. I also apologize to anyone who asked to be in the story that didn't make it in. I tried to keep a list, but a few people may have been lost. I also purposely didn't mention the names of any of the magazines/newspapers that are in this chapter for the simple reason that I don't know what the local magazines are in Seattle. Just pretend, okay? Anyway, wrapping this up. I'd like to thank everyone for the constant support so far, and I hope that you'll continue to stay with me for the remainder of this story!

* * *

**17. Be Prepared**

* * *

"Blaine!" Kurt shouted from the kitchen, "Blaine they're going to be here soon hurry up!"

Blaine walked in wearing a pair of _very_ tight skinny jeans and a blue plaid shirt. "Chill, Kurt. I know for a fact about half of them will turn up late anyway."

Sure enough, it was ten minutes after the arranged time when the doorbell rang. Blaine told Kurt to stay put as he ran to get the door. On his doorstep were three of the girls and a few of the guys.

"Hey guys, come on in," Blaine said with a flourish of his arm, "Kurt's in the living room."

Kurt jumped when he heard the squeals of girls coming from the doorway, he looked over his shoulder to see them heading in their direction, so he stood up. He was greeted with a hug from a short girl with extremely long brown hair, which he returned hesitantly.

"Hi!" She said cheerfully as she released him, "I'm Gunvor, but you can call me Ginny."

Kurt had barely gotten out a hello when a short Latina girl stuck her hand out, "Hi, I'm Chiara. We've heard _so_ much about you."

Blaine groaned from the hall, where he was standing with three guys. "Really, guys?"

A strawberry-blonde girl rolled her eyes, "Oh, c'mon Blaine. I'm sure he's aware you swoon." She turned back to Kurt with a broad smile, "I'm Hannah by the way. And those are the guys." She pulled the tallest of them forward, "This is Jake, that's Andrew, and gingy over there is Oliver." The ginger haired boy on the end gave a shy wave, and Kurt couldn't help but giggle.

"Hi, it's nice to finally meet you all."

"Please, the pleasure is all ours." Hannah said with a wink. Just then the doorbell went off, and Blaine left to go get it. Kurt chatted with the girls as they waited to see who'd come in next.

"Oh, hey Lindsey!" Chiara said to a girl with shoulder-length girl that walked in.

"Hey!" She said back. Well, shouted back. Music was now blaring through Blaine's run-down entertainment system, and Kurt assumed one of the guy's turned it on. People began flooding in, each introducing themselves. Kurt tried to remember each of their names; Ella, Sydney, Morgan, Liz, Zoe, Orla and Bugs. He fell into easy conversation with all of them—either talking about art or music—which was a relief. What seemed like a very short period of time later, the music cut off. Kurt looked around the room, seeing Blaine standing over the stereo system.

"Kurt, we've got a bit of a problem." He turned to a girl on his left—she must've arrived fairly recently because Kurt didn't recognize her—and held his hand out. She placed a magazine in it and Kurt felt his stomach drop. Magazines were never a good sign. "Lydia was on her way here when she came across this."

The magazine was handed to Kurt. The first thing he saw was a picture of him that was quite clearly the one they use in the playbooks for his shows. Above it was a headline that read _Kurt Hummel—MIA. _He groaned aloud before reading the caption under his picture.

_Kurt Hummel reportedly taken from his home by a stranger who claims to be a childhood friend. His long-time boyfriend, Ellington Stone, reveals the details of the dreadful event on page 3. _

Kurt immediately turned to page three, where the headline was repeated, and began to read the story. He handed the magazine back to Lydia with numb hands as he tried not to panic. Everything about the article made him feel sick. Not only did Ellington claim he had been '_Taken unwillingly by a curly-haired fan who was clearly obsessed',_ but he had also said that he had proposed to Kurt before hand… and received a positive answer in return. Kurt was suddenly hyper-aware of all the eyes on him. He tried to swallow the lump that had formed in his throat, but his voice still came out as barely a whisper.

"I… excuse me."

He ran straight for his and Blaine's bedroom, closing the door behind him and sliding down it. He heard Blaine's footsteps, and then a knock. "Kurt? Kurt, can I come in?"

Kurt got up, and opened the door. He saw Blaine's worried expression and lost it, breaking into tears and falling into his boyfriend's arms.

"Why can't we just be _happy_, Blaine?" He sobbed, "Why do they have to keep ruining it?"

Blaine stroked Kurt's hair, trying to comfort him even if he felt the same way. "I don't know, love. I don't know."

They stood there like that; Blaine stroking Kurt's hair and Kurt crying into Blaine's neck, for a while. Their friend's presence was completely forgotten until Lydia approached with Chiara and Ginny, all of them looking nervous and uncertain.

"Blaine?" Lydia asked quietly, eyeing Kurt nervously.

"Yeah?"

"We were just wondering if there was anything we could do," Chiara said, "None of us want to see this happen to you guys."

Blaine sighed, "I don't even know what to do at this point. Is it as easy as going to the media and denying it?"

"No." Kurt's voice was rough and he was still clinging to Blaine, but he sounded sure. "They want a story, Blaine. Telling them I'm living happily with my boyfriend in Seattle… that's not a story. Not the kind they want, anyway."

"So, basically, the only way you're going to get this straightened out is if Ellington comes forward and admits to it." Ginny said, crossing her arms and frowning.

"I don't like this guy." Lydia admitted.

"Who is he anyway?" Chiara asked. Kurt told her the complete truth; from the reason why he decided to date Ellington, to the near-rape incident on his couch, and finally Ellington's declaration of love. The girls 'oo'ed and 'aw'ed at all the right places, but they all realized that getting a confession out of the man would be nothing short of impossible.

"I don't know what to do, Blaine," Kurt whispered softly. "I hate… I hate that he's making you the bad guy. How could he say that I agreed to _marry_ him?" He began to cry again, and Blaine stroked his hair gently.

"Shh, Kurt, don't cry. It'll be okay. I promise we'll figure it out somehow. Why don't we just… forget about it for tonight? Enjoy the party and worry about the rest tomorrow?"

Kurt stopped crying after a couple of minutes and agreed with Blaine. The girls informed them that no one else knew what was going on, and Kurt asked that they refrain from telling them tonight—he really did want to meet Blaine's friends, and if everyone was feeling bad for him that wasn't going to happen.

So they went back to the party, made a quick excuse and turned the music back on. The scenario was pushed to the back of Kurt's mind thanks to the atmosphere of the room. Almost everyone was already drunk aside from Zoe, who assured them all that drinking was the last thing she wanted to do.

Kurt was chatting to Lindsey about what it was like performing on the Broadway stage—the two had clicked instantly when she'd brought up the fact she adored theatre—when Chiara said something absolutely vulgar.

"What in god's name are you talking about?" Kurt asked, and she started to giggle uncontrollably.

"No—I didn't mean it—like that." She said through gasps of laughter. "Geez, Kurt. Getcha head outta the gutter."

Kurt attempted to glare at the girl, but ended up laughing along with her.

"Oh my god, guys." Liz said suddenly, "We have to play never have I ever!"

Many of the guys moaned, and Andrew spoke up from his place near the window, "We're not in high school! We're supposed to be _adults_. What kind of adults play _never have I ever?_"

"The coolest of adults. Plus, we're in our _twenties._" They continued to argue, but it was eventually decided that the game was to be played. Each person was given a plastic cup filled with vodka, except for Zoe who was given Root Beer, and they all sat down in the living room. Blaine was seated on the couch next to Bugs and Orla, leaving no space for Kurt. He frowned slightly and went to sit on the floor next to Blaine when he was pulled down into his lap.

"You're fine here," Blaine whispered, his lips brushing against Kurt's ear and sending shiver's down his spine.

"I'll start, I'll start!" Liz said happily. "Never have I ever gone to the UK."

Kurt, Zoe, Ella, Sydney and Hannah all drank.

"Guh, I'm jealous of you all."

"Never have I ever…" Hannah started before looking directly at Blaine, "paid tuition for a class I never attended."

He groaned at the fact he was the only one to drink. "Never have I ever…" He looked at Kurt and smirked, "Had sex on the hood of a car."

Kurt flushed in embarrassment and gaped at Blaine, who willingly took a sip of his own drink. Kurt continued to glare as he took a sip, but smirked at Blaine as he said his own statement.

"Never have I ever kissed a girl," He paused, "and then dated her afterwards."

All of the guys took a drink and all of the girls gaped at Blaine. "It was _one time_!" He whined, "I was drunk, and clearly not thinking straight."

"On the contrary, dear, you were thinking quite straight."

"Har har. You're so funny Kurt." Blaine deadpanned, tickling his boyfriend's sides and smiling as Kurt writhed on his lap.

"Stop—stop! I'm—sorry!" He gasped through his laughter, and Blaine stilled his hands.

"Moving on," Andrew said with an eye roll. "Never have I ever got it on on a kitchen counter."

Half the guys, a few of the girls and Kurt and Blaine drank.

"Never have I ever sleeptalked." Liz suggested. None of the guys drank, and only a few of the girls did.

"Kurt, drink." Blaine said.

"I do not sleep talk."

"You do too." Blaine smiled, tapping his nose. "You say all sorts of stuff."

"Liar."

"I'm not lying! Some of it is quite vulgar, actually."

"Blaine!"

"I'm being serious!" He defended, "You've always sleep talked, love. Ever since I've known you, anyway." He wiggled his overly triangular eyebrows suggestively, and Kurt gaped at him.

"Blaine!"

"Yes, love?"

"You… what on—you're kidding."

They all laughed as Kurt turned beat red and admitted defeat, sipping his drink. The game continued for a while longer, only stopping when people were getting a bit _too_ tipsy. The music was turned off at that point, and people started to journey home. Luckily no one drove out, so no one had to take the couch. After saying their final goodbyes, Kurt and Blaine settled on the couch. Well, Blaine settled on the couch. Kurt settled on his lap.

"You're drunk." Blaine stated as he brushed a few strands of hair out of Kurt's half-closed eyes.

"Am not," He slurred, "I'm just fine thank you."

"You're going to be so hung over tomorrow." Kurt had started to kiss his neck sloppily, moving his way across Blaine's jaw so he could kiss him soundly on the mouth.

Despite himself, Blaine deepened the kiss, pulling Kurt forward and slipping his tongue into his mouth. They kissed lazily for a while before Blaine lifted Kurt up and placed him on their bed, crawling in next to him after turning off the lights. The mess in the living room could be cleaned up tomorrow since Blaine didn't have school anyway.

Kurt immediately curled into his side, sighing happily. "I love you, Blainey Bear."

"Love you too, Kurtie Pie." Blaine chuckled.

* * *

Blaine woke up first the next morning with a mild hangover. He knew that compared to the amount of alcohol _Kurt_ had consumed, his would be mild. So he took the time to run down to the nearest Starbucks. He picked up Kurt's usual, a Grande non-fat Mocha, and grabbed one of the oat bars he knew Kurt enjoyed so much.

Why he got back to his apartment Kurt was still asleep. Blaine crept into the kitchen to try and make some breakfast for him; even though he knew Kurt probably wouldn't be feeling up to eating much. As he waited for the pan to heat up, Blaine chanced a look at the living room. It wasn't nearly as bad as he thought it'd be, but there were still cups all over and discarded bottles.

Once the pan was ready, Blaine got to work making scrambled eggs. He made them with Kurt's favorite ingredients and lots of cheese, hoping they'd still be warm when he woke up.

Blaine was just putting the scrambled eggs on plates when he heard a groan from the bedroom and then the sounds of footsteps before a door slam closed. Blaine closed his eyes sympathetically at the sounds of Kurt dry-heaving, immediately going to the bathroom with a glass of water and two Advil's.

"Kurt?" He knocked, but opened the door before receiving a response.

"Ugh, get out Blaine. I look like shit right now."

Blaine placed the two pills and the glass down on the counter before walking over to Kurt and rubbing his back gently as he watched another round of dry-heaves take over him. Kurt looked positively miserable.

"Here," He handed the pills to Kurt, who took them gratefully and swallowed them both down with a gulp of water. "You should drink the rest of that." Blaine suggested when Kurt tried to hand the glass back to him.

He complied and chugged the glass quickly.

"You need to eat, too." Kurt groaned. "Kurt, it'll be better if you've got something in your stomach."

"I hate you," He mumbled as he stood and groggily followed Blaine into the kitchen, finding that he was actually quite hungry when he caught sight of the scrambled eggs and Starbucks cup. "I take that back, I love you."

Blaine chuckled as he watched Kurt dig in to his eggs, moaning at the taste.

"Seriously, you're so nice to me."

Blaine laughed and leaned over to kiss Kurt's forehead. "I love you, too."

They ate in silence for a while longer before Kurt groaned and dropped his fork onto his plate. "How bad is the living room?"

"Don't worry, it's not nearly as bad as I thought it'd be. A couple cups, a couple bottles, but fairly clean over all. For a party of art students it's incredibly clean."

"How much did I _drink_ last night?" Kurt asked after drinking half his coffee cup, "I don't even remember the last half of the night."

"Really Kurtsie pie?" Blaine teased, "You seemed to be enjoying yourself."

"Oh god, what did I do?"

"Lets just say I didn't know you were such an exhibitionist."

Kurt flushed a bright red and hid his face in his arms. "And what, may I ask, was going through your mind when you let this happen?"

"Sorry, love, I couldn't have stopped it if I tried." Blaine tried to hold in his laughter, "You were very… persistent."

"I've changed my mind again. I definitely hate you."

"You seemed to _love_ me last night."

"I hate you." Kurt repeated as he stood up, "I hate you, I hate you, I hate you."

He continued to sing-song the phrase as he walked into the living room. He breathed out a sigh of relief when he saw that it wasn't that bad, as Blaine has said.

"Blaine, could you bring a garbage bag in?"

He sighed dramatically even as he reached for the bag under the sink, "I _suppose_. But only because I'm the best boyfriend ever, right?"

Kurt rolled his eyes, reaching for the bag, but Blaine stepped back with a smirk. "Right?"

"Blaine Anderson you better give me that god damn garbage bag."

"Or what?" Blaine asked as he side-stepped Kurt again. All those years in the Warblers were obviously paying off.

"_Blaine,"_ Kurt whined. "Please?" He pouted, "Because you love me?"

Blaine couldn't say no to that face, and so he handed the bag over to Kurt, who simply smiled and stuck his tongue out before getting to work. As they cleaned they would burst into song randomly. Everything from Broadway Lady Gaga was sung in the hour it took them to clean up. Kurt, who was usually a miserable mess when hung over, was in a great mood and he barely acknowledged the pounding in his head.

They settled down on the couch afterwards. Kurt curled up against Blaine with his head resting on Blaine's shoulder.

"Kurt, I think… I think we need to start thinking about how to fix this thing with Ellington."

Kurt sighed, wishing he could just stay in that happy bubble with Blaine. Why did life _always_ have to get in the way? "What can we do, Blaine?"

"We could _try_ going to the media." Blaine suggested, "I know you said they wouldn't want that kind of story, but we can try right?"

"I guess…"

"And if that doesn't work I'll go have a '_chat_' with Ellington myself, okay?"

"Okay."

* * *

Kurt and Blaine got dressed in their best casual-but-still-professional clothes and called a cab to take them to one of the news stations. Kurt had called in earlier and they had scheduled and interview for him right away. They took the cab downtown and quickly made their way past the paparazzi on the stairs.

"Mr. Hummel!" A woman wearing a red silk blouse tucked into a black pinstripe skirt. She walked swiftly over to them and held out her hand. "I'm Angela Cormike. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Hi, please call me Kurt," He told her with a pleasant smile.

"And who is this dashing young man?" She had turned to Blaine now and was smirking as she held out her hand daintily.

"I'm Blaine Anderson, his rumoured kidnapper."

"Oh."

"Shall we get started?" Kurt asked, and Angela nodded. She led them to a private office with a full wall that was just a window. She motioned for them to sit down on a very out of place looking couch as she sat down on the chair across from them. Kurt waited until she was watching and then grabbed Blaine's hand, threading his own fingers in Blaine's. He wanted her to know he was there because he wanted to be.

"So Mr. Hummel-"

"Kurt."

"Kurt," She corrected with a smile, "I'm assuming this interview is in regards to the recent articles that have been put out?"

"Yes."

"So, should we start by getting your opinions on the situation, Kurt?"

"Sure." He smiled sweetly. "I'd like to start off my saying that Blaine didn't kidnap me, or charm me into coming here with him. I came willingly because I love him."

"But you've been dating Mr. Stone for the past year and a half, am I correct?"

"I didn't cheat on Ellington, if that's what you're implying." Kurt deadpanned. "Blaine and I met in high school, and dated for about a year and a half before we drifted apart. With Blaine here and Seattle and my career taking off in New York it became harder and harder for us to spend time together. We never… well _I _never stopped loving him."

"I didn't stop loving you, Kurt." Blaine assured him.

"So… Blaine came to see you in New York. Then what?"

"We connected again, just like many other couples that have distanced over time."

"And where was Mr. Stone through out all this?" She questioned.

"Well, we were still dating. But I knew that the flame was never there. Not like I had believed it was. We were… well we were making out," Kurt admitted with a cough, "And I accidently let Blaine's name split. It wasn't exactly the _first_ time, and it always put Ellington on edge. Blaine walked in at the wrong time and Ellington ended up threatening him. I knew then that I had to stop lying to him. I tried to let him know as nicely as I possibly could. He didn't take it well obviously."

"So then you came here with Blaine?"

"There was a bit of a time gap, but yes. Eventually I asked if I could come to Seattle with him so he could continue going to school."

"So… Ellington didn't propose then?"

"No."

"I see." She said quietly. "Well, thank you for talking to me, Kurt. This will be a great story."

They all stood and shook hands before Kurt and Blaine were led out. On the cab ride home, Kurt sighed miserably. "She's not going to run it."

"What? I thought it went well."

"I've been dealing with the media for years Blaine, the look on her face showed the story wasn't enough."

Blaine's heart bled at the look on his boyfriend's face. He looked so defeated, and it honestly just wasn't fair. "We'll see what happens tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay." Kurt tried to smile, but it didn't reach his eyes.

* * *

The next morning Blaine ran down to the nearest news stand. A picture of him and Kurt caught his attention, but when he got a proper look at it his stomach dropped. He grabbed the magazine and handed it to the stand owner.

The man frowned at him. "You're a real dick, you know that right?"

Blaine felt like he was going to cry as he silently paid for the magazine. Whispering a thank you to the glaring man, he scurried away as quickly as he could. He was dreading going back to his apartment, though. He didn't know if he could bare seeing Kurt when he read the article. The picture on the front was bad enough; he could only imagine how bad the actual story was.

As he walked Blaine couldn't help but wonder where and _how_ they got the picture. He had a death grip on Kurt's arm and looked angry, while Kurt looked frightened. He didn't remember the event happening.

He walked gingerly into the apartment and was greeted by a smiling Kurt. His heart broke all over again.

"What's wrong?" Kurt asked. Blaine silently handed over the magazine and Kurt frowned. He studied the picture and bit his lip. "I don't remember this happening."

"Neither do I."

"How bad is the story?"

"I don't know, I didn't read it. But the guy at the stand hates me, so I assume it's not good."

Kurt opened to the page their story was on and read the article with growing dread. Somehow the reporter managed to turn his words around completely and made it seem like Blaine dropped Kurt after high school and then returned and wooed him into leaving Ellington, the perfect boyfriend. She completely left out the part where Kurt admitted to always loving Blaine, instead making it seem like he was in a haze from reuniting with his childhood love. He wanted to cry, he wanted to scream, and he wanted to laugh. Nothing could go right, could it? They couldn't let them have this. They couldn't let him be happy.

"I'm so sorry Kurt," Blaine whispered from over his shoulder. He'd been reading the article at the same time.

"It's not your fault." He replied, but he could feel himself on the verge of tears. "I knew something like this would happen. It always does. I shouldn't have gone to that stupid reporter."

"I'm tempted to go to that stupid reporter and say some words of my own."

"It'd just make everything worse; make the abusive-kidnapper part more believable."

"What do we do, Kurt?"

"We go to Ellington, I suppose. I'm pretty sure I've still got his number."

Blaine pulled Kurt close, kissing him gently. "Do you think it'll work?"

"It's worth a try."

Kurt took out his iPhone and quickly selected Ellington from his contacts list. The line rang once before he heard Ellington's voice on the other end of the line, "Hello?"

"Why are you doing this?" Kurt told himself he wasn't going to break down, wasn't going to cry… wasn't going to be weak, but this was all too much for him. "Why can't you just let me be _happy_, Ellington?"

"Kurt I don't know what you're-"

"Do you honestly think that I'll come running back to you because of the media? And if I did, do you think I'd be _happy?_"

"You're better off with me." He said quickly.

"No, I'm not. Ellington, I love _Blaine._ I've always loved Blaine. I should never have led you on, and I feel terrible for doing it, but why do you have to do this?"

"Because I love you!" He shouted angrily. "I've loved you for a long time and then _he_ shows up and takes you from me! He wasn't there for you, Kurt! He left you! And when he wasn't there, who was? Me!"

"You don't understand, obviously." Kurt fell back onto the couch, rubbing the bridge of his nose, "He didn't leave me, and I didn't leave him. We drifted, and we both regretted it. _You_ need to accept that I can't be with you and stop trying to ruin my life, okay? I'm_ sorry_ I led you on, I'm _sorry_ that I was such a bitch about it all, but _please_ let me just have this. Let me just have Blaine."

"If I come out to the media I'm going to get constant hate. I don't even _like_ Blaine, why should I risk my entire image for him?"

"Because if you love me like you say you do you would do this one thing for me." Kurt was crying, and Blaine couldn't take it anymore. He grabbed the phone from Kurt.

"Ellington? Hi, this is Blaine. Look, you hate me and I hate you. We both want Kurt, we both love Kurt and the truth is only one of us can have him. For some strange, amazing reason he chose me, and I'd seriously appreciate it if you could just accept that. Move on. You don't have to like it, and you can continue to hate me all you want, but please don't do this to Kurt. I honestly do love him and this is… this is killing him. He's miserable and I don't like it." Blaine took a deep breath, "Please just let him be happy."

"You want me to give up." Ellington stated. "You want me to _let him go_."

"_Please_. I know what it feels like to loose the man you love; I know what it feels like to loose _Kurt._ But I also would give up anything to make him happy, and if he chose you I would let him go. So please, just let him live his life with whomever he chooses to."

There was a long pause and then a barely audible 'fine'. "Really?" Blaine asked, heart beating quickly as a smile crept onto his face.

"Yeah, fine. Because I love Kurt. But you better fucking treat him right, Anderson, or I'm going to come find you."

"Thank you, Ellington. Seriously, you can't imagine how much this means to the both of us."

"Whatever."

"Oh, and I hope you're able to find someone who loves you, too." Blaine said before hanging up.

"First of all, that was the cheesiest line ever." Kurt deadpanned, but a smile broke through and he hugged Blaine tightly, "And secondly, I love you."

"I love you too."

"Does this mean we're going to be able to just… be happy now?"

"I hope so."

"I love you," Kurt repeated, pressing his lips firmly against Blaine's.

"I love you, too."

* * *

Blaine returned to the same newspaper stand the next day to find the same man looking at him sheepishly. "I'm sorry about what I said yesterday, kid. The magazine's on the house."

Blaine thanked him before half-running, half-skipping back to his apartment. He threw the door open and pulled Kurt into his arms. He spun them in a circle as he held Kurt tight. Ellington had gone to the media. It had been cleared up and all the paparazzi could talk about was the "big scandal" that had happened.

Blaine had to admit that it had been cleared up a lot easier, and quicker, than he had ever imagined. But then, thinking about what it was like to love someone, he knew that all Ellington needed was a poke in the right direction. But as they sat down to read the article all that was on their minds was _finally, finally, __**finally**_ _we can just relax and enjoy being together. _


	18. Your Song

**A/N: **Okay, I'm really, really unhappy with this chapter. It's way too short for my liking, and for not updating in ages I'm ashamed that this is all I've written. But I hit a block with this chapter. I know exactly what's going to happen next, but this chapter is a filler.  
So I am _so_ sorry for the length, and I hope you can forgive me. I've already got most of the next chapter written out, so it'll be up _a lot_ sooner. Hopefully before my birthday on the 5th! The song is Your Song by Kate Walsh.

* * *

**18. Your Song**

* * *

For the next couple of weeks, Kurt and Blaine simply lived. Blaine went to school; Kurt got himself a job at a local theatre. They didn't see each other every minute of the day, but that's what made their relationship so perfect. Because no matter what happened during the day, no matter how tired they were or how hard they worked, they always made time to just sit and talk on the couch as they cuddled together.

It wasn't like high school; they didn't have a constant need to be together, or to talk whenever they were together. And with the simplicity that was their relationship came the comfort of having a best friend and a lover. They didn't have to work to impress each other anymore, so they could just relax and be themselves. It was a lot healthier, a lot better, than it was before.

Which is why on their one month anniversary Blaine decided to take Kurt out to a fancy dinner at one of the nicer restaurants that Seattle had to offer.

"But it's only a one-month anniversary," Kurt had said when Blaine told him.

"I don't care. I love you and I want to take you out for a nice dinner." Kurt had blushed, but he agreed.

So now Blaine was waiting patiently in the living room for Kurt to finish getting ready so they could go. He was dressed in a blue suit with a navy blue and red striped tie, feeling a lot like he was back in uniform. Blaine let out a little laugh.

"What's so funny?" Kurt asked, and Blaine turned to look at his boyfriend. His breath was taken away at the form fitting, but simple black suit with black pinstripe tie he was wearing. "Blaine?"

"Oh… sorry, you just… you look absolutely stunning." Kurt blushed and Blaine couldn't resist taking the two steps to close the distance between them to press a firm kiss to Kurt's lips. He reached up to deepen the kiss but Kurt slapped his hands away.

"I just spent an hour on this hair. No touching." Blaine stared in disbelief before laughing and kissing his cheek instead. "So, what was so funny?"

"The tie." Blaine said as he reached for his house keys. He had already called the cab, and was sure it was waiting for them downstairs.

"The tie?" Kurt asked, looking at it for a moment before letting out a giggle himself. "Oh, I see. How nostalgic."

Blaine smiled. He locked the door to the apartment before turning to Kurt and holding out his hand. Kurt's fingers intertwined with his in the simplest way as they made their way down the stairs and outside. The cab was waiting for them and Blaine opened the door for Kurt before walking around to the other side and getting in himself. He told the driver the name of the restaurant and they were off.

Blaine stared at Kurt's profile as they drove, placing his hand on top of Kurt's that was resting on the seat. Kurt looked over and smiled at him. "I love you," Blaine whispered.

"I love you, too."

"I'm going to be saying that a lot tonight."

"Me, too."

* * *

After arriving at the restaurant, the waitress led them to their seat. It was a booth in the back of the restaurant, and they were isolated from the other couples dining around them. Blaine had asked for it specifically, not wanting any homophobes to ruin their evening.

"Blaine, this place is expensive." Kurt said after looking over the menu. Even the appetizers cost a small fortune.

"Don't worry about it," Blaine replied with a wave of his hand as he studied the menu.

"I can't let you pay for this."

"Why not?"

"Because you're—but you said you were having financial issues." Kurt looked down at the table, fiddling with his napkin. "I don't want you struggling just so you can impress me or whatever. You don't need to."

"Kurt," Blaine reached over and placed his hand over Kurt's, stilling them. "It's fine. Really. My paintings have been selling, and not for a small price either. It's all good now."

He watched as Kurt bit his lip, obviously still worried, so he leaned in to press a kiss to his temple. "Kurt, trust me. I can afford it."

Kurt still looked apprehensive, but he nodded and returned his gaze to the menu.

When the waitress returned to take their orders Kurt asked for their spinach dip and Blaine ordered a steak with a bottle of red wine for them to share. "You could've got a meal, Kurt. Seriously, you didn't have to get an appetizer."

Kurt smiled warmly, "I know, Blaine. But I've heard a lot about their spinach dip, so I thought I'd give it a try."

They fell into a comfortable conversation about nothing important. That was another great thing about their relationship; they rarely had deep, heartfelt conversations. They didn't feel the need to anymore. They talked if they wanted to about whatever came to mind, and if they didn't want to talk they wouldn't.

When their meals arrived, the conversation stopped for a while as they ate. Kurt's spinach dip lived up to its reputation, and Blaine seemed to enjoy his steak. Blaine stopped eating at one point so he could raise his wine glass.

"To my wonderful boyfriend, whom I hope to spend a long, _long_ time with." Blaine toasted, and Kurt blushed before raising his own glass.

"And to _my _equally wonderful boyfriend." Kurt giggled.

* * *

After they had finished eating, Blaine took Kurt down to the Waterfront. As they walked Blaine couldn't take his eyes off of Kurt's profile, which was illuminated by the light of the moon reflecting off the water.

"What?" Kurt asked, feeling Blaine's gaze on him. The blush that spread across his cheeks was barely visible.

"It's just… you look so beautiful." Blaine admitted, stopping to run his fingertips along Kurt's defined cheekbones. A breeze came up from the water, messing Kurt's perfectly styled hair up just a little bit, and making him seem all the more gorgeous. Blaine intertwined their hands again and swung them gently as they walked. Blaine started to sing softly, his voice barely audible over the sounds of the city.

_Haven't you heard?  
I'm stuck on a verse  
I'm stuck on a boy  
who fills me with joy  
I knew I was wrong  
to jump straight on into  
this picture so pretty  
But he is so pretty to me_

He looked to Kurt, smiling brightly and slowing their pace just a bit.

_And he doesn't know  
just how far I would go  
Just to kiss him  
He doesn't know I pine_

_So I make whirlpools_  
_And watch him sparkle_  
_And we'll make love make magic_

They stopped walking and turned to face each other, Blaine humming the sounds the guitar would usually make. He offered a hand to Kurt, who tilted his head to the side in question but took it. When Blaine pulled him close and started to sway, Kurt laid his head on Blaine's shoulder; just listening to the sound of Blaine's voice as he sang.

_And haven't you heard?  
I thought I had first  
And he loves me so  
We're two in a row  
Just look in his eyes  
They're blue as the skies  
a picture so pretty  
but he is so pretty to me_

_So I make whirlpools_  
_And watch him sparkle_  
_And we'll make love make magic_

_But I couldn't tell you  
Just tell that it takes you  
'Cause words don't make  
what I make with him_

Blaine stopped swaying and Kurt lifted his head so he could look into Blaine's eyes as he sang the last verse.

_Haven't you heard?  
I'm stuck on a verse  
I'm stuck on a boy  
who fills me with joy  
I knew I was wrong  
to jump straight on into  
this picture so pretty  
But he is so pretty to me_

As soon as he finished, Blaine leaned in to kiss Kurt gently. As their lips pressed together they heard clapping. Kurt broke away from the kiss and looked around to see a fair sized group of people looking at them. He blushed, but didn't remove his arms from where they were wrapped around Blaine's waist.

"Why can't you do that for me?" Kurt heard one of the girls ask.

"Babe, I can't sing…" Her boyfriend responded, and Kurt chuckled.

"I love you," He said to Blaine, "Thank you for being so wonderful."

"I love you, too."


	19. Counting the Days

**A/N: **Alright, so things get a bit heavy this chapter. I'm sorry, but I've had this planned since I decided this would be a chapter fic, and I know it may seem like a lot more bad stuff for the couple, but it's a rocky start for them.  
**TRIGGER WARNING: Violence, hospitalization, blood. **

Stick with me guys, I promise it gets better.

* * *

**19. Counting the Days**

* * *

Kurt padded into the kitchen, leaving Blaine sleeping peacefully in their bedroom. He glanced at the clock on the oven and saw that it was just past seven, a bit early even for him. He was still giddy from the events of the night before, though, and didn't feel tired in the slightest.

As he was reaching for a glass, Kurt heard the door to their apartment open. When he turned around to see who it was, he nearly dropped the glass. Standing in front of him was Blaine's father.

"Jesus, Kurt, you're an early riser," Blaine said groggily as he walked into the kitchen wiping at his eyes, "You realize it's only seven, right?"

Kurt looked between Blaine and his father, eyes wide and mouth hanging open in shock. Blaine seemed to take notice as he started to turn his head. "Kurt, what're you-" He stopped talking as soon as his eyes landed on his father. The man looked almost exactly the same, if not a bit greyer and a bit wrinklier.

"…D-dad?" He choked out, but his fathers gaze wasn't on him.

"So I see _you're_ still here," He spit at Kurt, who was still unable to do more than look at the man. "Blaine, I'm disappointed. I thought that maybe after _five years_ you would have gotten rid of this _fag._"

Blaine saw his boyfriend flinch out of the corner of his eye and felt something snap inside him. His eyes darkened and his voice was icy, "Don't you dare call him that."

"What? A _fag?_" His father sneered, "That's what he _is_ Blaine, don't be so naïve."

Kurt was curling in on himself; wrapping his arms tightly around his middle and hanging his head shamefully. Blaine hated seeing him like this; seeing his strong, confident Kurt being hurt by a grown man who should very well know better.

His father took a step towards them, towering over Kurt as he glared, "You're a pathetic excuse for a man; a pathetic excuse for a _human being_. If it weren't for you maybe Blaine would be successful. You ruined his life; made him just as pathetic as you."

Kurt straightened up and lifted his head. His eyes were dark and his hands were clenched into fists at his sides. "Blaine _is_ successful. You would know that if you had given him a _chance_. He's managed to make a name for himself, and its no thanks to you! You threw him out, _your own son,_ and left him to fend for himself. And now you come barging into his home—how the fuck did you even get in here?—expecting to find what, exactly?"

Kurt took a deep breath before stepping even closer to Blaine's father. "You're a pathetic, heartless, homophobic _asshole_ and I want you to get the fuck out of our apartment before I call the cops."

Blaine saw his father's eyes darken even more as his hand tightened around his cane. He noticed not a second too late what his father was planning to do. Blaine had just enough time to push Kurt out of the way before he felt the metal connecting with his skull. He heard a defining _crack_ and then he fell to the floor. He heard Kurt scream before his vision blurred out.

When he opened his eyes again Kurt's face was right above his and he was crying; tears running down his cheeks. His lips were moving but Blaine couldn't hear any of what he was saying. He wanted to reach up and brush Kurt's tears away, but no matter how hard he tried he couldn't lift his arm. He felt himself slipping out of consciousness and it seemed as if Kurt was getting farther and farther away before suddenly everything went black.

* * *

Kurt stumbled as he was pushed aside by Blaine. When he caught his footing he spun around to see Blaine falling to the ground, the side of his head already bleeding. Kurt fell forward onto his knees, screaming as he watched Blaine hit the floor. He crawled over to his boyfriend and tried to hold his gaze, but Kurt could see Blaine's eyes going in and out of focus.

"You asshole! You fucking douche! Look what you've done!" Kurt dropped to his knees next to Blaine, cupping his face in his hands and watching as his eyelids began to drift closed.

"No, no. No, Blaine baby, you need to stay with me." He looked on in horror as Blaine began to drift out of consciousness. Kurt pulled Blaine's head into his lap, rocking back and forth, "Blaine, Blaine don't leave me." Kurt chanted.

When he felt a sticky substance on his fingers, Kurt lifted his hand and saw the familiar red color that could only be blood. Kurt wailed in pain, his breath coming in short pants as his heart beat wildly in his chest. Blaine's blood was slowly soaking through his pants, he could feel it now.

"Oh my god, Blaine. Blaine, honey, no. Don't leave me, just… just no, Blaine…" Kurt looked up and met the frightened gaze of Blaine's father. "What the _hell_ are you doing? Why are you just standing there?" Kurt screamed, "He's bleeding! Call a god damn ambulance you worthless human being!"

One of Blaine's neighbours burst through the open door, looking panicked. "What's going on?" The redhead asked.

"Oh thank god," Kurt sighed, "Please call an ambulance. He's-he's bleeding and… and I… just… oh, god."

Kurt saw Blaine's father flee, but he didn't care. Blaine had fallen out of consciousness, and Kurt could loose him. He let himself sob freely, not caring who he woke up.

* * *

The next fifteen minutes of Kurt's life passed in a blur of bright lights and loud people trying to take Blaine away from him. It took four paramedics and the assurance of being allowed to ride in the ambulance with Blaine to get him to let go of the still bleeding boy.

When they reached the hospital Blaine was taken away from Kurt, and the doctors told him he could sit in the waiting room until Blaine was stable. Their choice of words made Kurt even more unsure; made him want to stay with him more. If he was unstable… that meant…

Kurt shook his head as he sat down in one of hard, plastic chairs. He couldn't think about the possibility that… he just couldn't think about it.

Kurt sat in that chair for what felt like hours. He was still crying, though he had calmed down a bit, and he glanced up at the emergency entrance every two minutes just hoping to see Blaine come out to tell him it was just a scratch.

Eventually one of the doctors came out and walked over to the front desk. When the lady pointed in Kurt's direction, he stood. The doctor thanked the lady and made his way over.

"Are you Kurt Hummel?" He asked and Kurt nodded. "I understand you were with Mr. Anderson at the time of his injury. Are you family?"

Kurt shook his head. "I'm his boyfriend. His parents abandoned him years ago."

"I see." Dr. Dowry looked down at his clipboard.

"Can I see him? Please?" Kurt asked, and when the doctor looked up he frowned.

"Mr. Hummel I'm afraid I have some bad news for you."

"Oh God, please tell me he's okay. He's… He can't be…" Kurt's throat closed up and he shook his head as he started to cry again.

"He's alive," Dr. Dowry said quickly, "But… Well, Mr. Anderson lost a lot of blood, and since it was a head wound it-"

"Not to be rude, doctor," Kurt interrupted, "But can you please just get to the point?"

"I'm afraid Mr. Anderson is in a coma." Kurt gasped, raising a hand to his mouth as his eyes pooled with tears. "He's stable now, but we're not sure how long he's going to be comatose."

"I want to see him," Kurt's voice cracked, "I _need_ to see him. _Please._"

Dr. Dowry nodded and started to lead Kurt through the halls. He probably should've paid attention to their route, but at that moment Kurt could care less. He just wanted—needed—to see Blaine.

When they got to Blaine's room Kurt noticed there was one empty bed close to the door, and one close to the window with the drapes pulled closed. His heart leapt at the realization that that would be where Blaine was. He followed after the doctor, though his steps were slower now.

When the doctor pulled back the drapery to reveal Blaine, Kurt couldn't help but gasp. He was so _pale…_ so _weak_ that it broke Kurt's heart. He moved over to the bedside and took one of Blaine's very pale and unusually cold hands in his own. He cringed when he saw the IV in his other hand and adverted his gaze back to his lover's face. Not seeing the bright smile and warm color that usually painted his cheeks had to be the hardest thing for Kurt to handle. Because otherwise he could just be sleeping.

"Well, Mr. Hummel," Dr. Dowry coughed, "I'll, um… I'll leave you with him. There's a bathroom through that door if you want to wash off."

Kurt simply nodded, not trusting his voice. He listened to the footsteps of the doctor, not letting out his sobs until the footsteps had faded into the ticking of the clock that hung above the window.

It took him a lot longer to compose himself this time around. He sniffled once more and pressed a kiss to Blaine's forehead before going into the bathroom. When he caught sight of himself in the mirror, Kurt had to do a double take. He looked… well he looked like shit. His hair was messy from waking up and the numerous times he'd pulled on it in frustration over the course of the morning; his white t-shirt was stained with Blaine's blood, as were his sweatpants. His eyes were lifeless and red from all the crying and you could see the tear tracks that still hadn't completely dried.

He walked over to the sink and turned the taps; letting them run so the water would warm up. When he put his hands under the stream he noticed that they, too, were still stained with blood and it was turning the water pink. Kurt felt like he was going to vomit, and had barely made it to the toilet before he was emptying the contents of his stomach.

He couldn't bring himself to get off the floor afterwards. He still felt sick and he could _feel_ Blaine's blood on his skin and clothes. He reached shakily for his phone and let out a breath of relief when he got through to Allison. He managed to explain the situation to her and only broke down once. When he asked her to bring him a change of clothes she agreed without hesitation and said she would be there within the hour.

Kurt forced himself to get up again in attempts to wash off a bit more, but no matter how hard he scrubbed at his hands, he never felt any cleaner. When Allison arrived to the room with a change of clothes he broke down yet again. The girl rushed over to him and pulled him into her arms, rocking them gently.

"Shh. It's okay, Kurt, it's okay." She cooed as she rubbed his hair, "He'll be okay."

"But… But there was so much b-blood," He choked out a sob, "And I had to w-watch him… he was lying there and I… I couldn't d-do anything."

"Kurt, it's okay. He's going to wake up. He's going to be fine." Allison said. "He'll wake up."

* * *

After Allison left, Kurt pulled a chair to Blaine's bed and grabbed his hand again. He felt like he was back in High School… back with his dad. He thought maybe because of that it'd be easier to deal with it now, especially because he knew that Blaine was definitely going to wake up, but it wasn't.

At quarter past seven Dr. Dowry came back in to check on Blaine, and asked Kurt if he would be staying the night or not. One look from the shorter boy told him that he would be.

When his phone rang at half past nine with an unknown number, Kurt felt nervous. What if it was Blaine's dad? He didn't know if he could deal with that man at the moment.

"Hello?" He asked his voice raspy.

"Hi, is this Kurt Hummel?" The voice, thankfully, belonged to a woman. Kurt recognized her voice, but he couldn't place it.

"Yes."

"Hi, Kurt. It's Cassandra Anderson."

* * *

**A/N:** I'd like to apologize for the possibility of the diagnosis for Blaine's condition being wrong. I did a bit of research and what I found was that someone who has suffered a blow to the head from a blunt object and lost of blood can fall into a coma that could last 5 or more days.


	20. Mad About the Boy

**A/N:** It's almost over guys. I think one or two more chapters and we're done. As much as I'd love for this story to go on forever, it can't. It's been such an amazing trip though, and thank you all so much for sticking with me through my first serious fanfiction. It wouldn't have been what it is without all the support I've gotten from you guys, so thank you so much, you all are so lovely.

On to the final stretch, I suppose.

* * *

**20. Mad About the Boy**

* * *

"Kurt? Kurt are you still there?" Cassandra asked after a moment.

Kurt forced himself to respond, "Y-yeah."

"Do you happen to know where Bill has gotten to? He said he was going to go visit Blaine and he still hasn't come home. I mean, assuming you and Blaine are still together…" She trailed off, clearly uncertain.

"I… you mean… you don't know?"

"Don't know what, sweetheart? Oh gosh, did you two break up? I'm so sorry if I've-"

"No, we didn't. Well… we did, but we're back together—that's not the point. I mean that… Blaine's in the hospital Mrs. Anderson," He paused at her gasp, "And it's because of your husband that he's here."

"W-what do you mean?" Her voice was quiet, "Surely you've got the wrong person."

Kurt scowled, and when he replied his voice was dark. "No, I'd recognize him anywhere."

"But he wouldn't…" Cassandra paused, "He _couldn't_. He loves Blaine. That's why he dragged us out here. To see if Blaine would think about coming back to us. We were all so upset when he decided to distance himself from our family."

"What… what?" Kurt shook his head before realizing she couldn't see him, "No, that's not what happened at all. Your _husband_ kicked Blaine out."

"No, Blaine told him that he wanted to try and fend for himself for a while…"

"No, Mrs. Anderson, he didn't. Blaine was forced out of your family by his father and he hasn't been allowed to return. Because he's gay. Because he's with me."

"That's ridiculous. Arthur has always been so accepting of Blaine's sexuality." Cassandra spoke so weakly and Kurt knew she was having her own doubts, but he couldn't stop himself from snorting at the statement.

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Anderson, but you have seriously be deceived. _Arthur_," Kurt spit the name out, "Was never accepting. He hated me for turning Blaine gay, although he was clearly comfortably gay before we even met."

"But he…"

"Why don't you come to the hospital?" Kurt suggested, "So we can talk in person. I feel terrible doing this over the phone."

"Okay." She said and the line went dead. Kurt sighed. "Blaine what am I supposed to do without you. I was hoping I'd be able to make a good impression on your family this time."

He held Blaine's hand tightly in his own, and leaned down to press his ear to Blaine's chest. He knew that he was alive but… he felt the need to hear his heartbeat. It was weak, but comforting. Kurt could still feel his breath ghosting his cheek and he felt more tears pool in his eyes. He reached up to cup Blaine's cheek with his free hand, fingers roaming over his lips, the slight creases around his eyes from smiling. Kurt's heart clenched painfully as a picture of Blaine's warm smile, hearty laugh, the way his whole face lit up when he was happy. He even looked beautiful when he was sad. Blaine looked so… so strange like this, void of any emotion. Kurt leaned down to press a kiss to his boyfriend's lips, his tears falling onto Blaine's face. He broke down completely and buried his face in Blaine's chest as sobs wracked his body.

"Oh, Kurt," Kurt jumped away from Blaine at the sound of Cassandra's voice. She was standing in the doorway to the room with one hand lifted to her parted lips as the other held her steady against the doorframe. Her curly brown-black hair was all over the place and her shirt's buttons were done up haphazardly, most not in the right holes, and she was still wearing the hotel slippers. "Oh, my baby." She ran over to Blaine's side, the one not occupied with Kurt that is, and pulled his other hand to hers. She was on the side that showed his wound clearly. "Arthur… he did this?"

Kurt closed his eyes painfully, "Yes."

"Where is he now?" Her voice was strong and angry despite the tears in her eyes. "Where is he?"

"I don't know, Mrs. Anderson. He… he ran off before the ambulance was even called."

"Kurt, honey, please call me Cassandra. You're _family_. You're the boy that my son fell in love with." She reached across Blaine to place a hand on his.

Kurt let out a sob. "But I let him down… I _keep_ letting him down."

"No, honey, no." Cassandra moved around the bed and pulled him towards her, Kurt couldn't help but curl into her warmth as she stroked her hair. It brought back memories of when his own mother used to do that, and Kurt cried harder. "Blaine he… he changed so much after he met you. He wasn't as closed off; he started sticking up for himself and actually _talking_ to us. He… he was happier around you and you always bring out the best in him. You were so _young_ when you met, and I knew that you were going to be together in the end, despite the fact you two were both young and naïve and took _forever_ to admit to each other that you did, in fact, have very strong feelings for one another." She lightly pushed Kurt back so she could look in his eyes, "You met so young, there were so many things that could go wrong, but just like I knew you would; you guys made it through it. I don't know how bad it got between you two, but you're together now, right?"

Kurt sniffed and nodded, even smiling a bit. "I love him. I always have."

"I know, sweetheart. And I know he loves you too. I just… I wish I could've been there for you both when you had to go through whatever you had to go through." She pushed his hair away from his face.

"I wish you could've been there too. Blaine's had it… oh; it's been so hard for him, Cassandra. When I first came to his apartment it was such a mess…" Kurt continued to tell her their story, not leaving out anything even if he was a bit worried when he got to the part about Ellington, but she took it all in stride. She didn't call him any horrible names, even told him that it was okay, that he managed to realize he was wrong and that that was good. When he finished, Kurt felt so much lighter. Cassandra pulled him into a tight hug and Kurt returned it whole-heartedly.

"Do you… he's going to wake up soon, right?" Kurt asked.

"I hope so."

"Mrs. Anderson… I know this isn't really my place to ask, but can you please make sure your husband stays away from him?"

"Trust me, Kurt; I don't want anything to do with that man anymore." She snorted, "And _I'm_ the one with the money, so a divorce will be no problem for me."

"I feel terrible for breaking up your family…"

"Trust me, I'd rather have no husband than one that lies to me and kicks our own _son_ out of our lives. Without my permission."

Kurt smiled weakly and they fell into a comfortable silence, simply watching as Blaine lay there. Both jumped at the slightest movement, and their eyes strayed to the heart monitor every half a minute. It was nearly four in the morning before Kurt let himself fall asleep, his head resting on Blaine's chest and his hand still tightly holding Blaine's.

* * *

"Mr. Hummel." Kurt opened his eyes and looked around, taking in all the white. He sat up and everything came back all at once. His throat closed up as he looked down a Blaine, who hadn't changed since the night before. "Mr. Hummel?" The voice repeated, more questioning this time. Kurt looked up to see a police officer standing to his left.

"Yes?" His voice was weak from disuse and the amount of crying he did yesterday.

"We're here to ask a few questions about what happened yesterday." Kurt looked the officer up and down, noticing that he was a bit younger and seemed nervous. "Would you mind if I asked a few questions?" Kurt shook his head. "Okay, let's start with the basics. Where you and Blaine alone in the apartment the night before the attack?"

"Of course. We'd just gotten back from a lovely date and were exhausted, so we went to bed."

"And then you woke up the next morning—it was you who woke first, yes?" Kurt nodded, "So you woke up the next morning and what happened?"

"I went into the kitchen to get a glass of water and put the coffee on so I could go back to bed and cuddle with my boyfriend for a while."

The officer nodded and wrote some things down, "And then?"

"Then I heard the front door open, and when I turned around Arthur Anderson was standing in our doorway. He looked furious when he saw me. Blaine had woken up then and was obviously still half-asleep so it took him a minute or so to clue in."

"And you're positive it was Arthur Anderson?"

Kurt laughed bitterly. "Of course I am. I'd recognize the man anywhere. He made Blaine's life hell and has always hated me."

"Right, of course." The officer coughed, "What happened next?"

"There was a lot of yelling, and Arthur called us some terrible names-"

"What kind of names?"

Kurt glared at being interrupted, but forced the names out, a sneer on his face the whole time and his voice dripping venom. "Faggots, fag, he accused me of 'turning Blaine gay'." The officer nodded and told him to continue with his story, "Anyway, there was a lot of shouting and then the next thing I knew Blaine was pushing me out of the way, and I was on the floor. When I looked back up I saw Arthur's cane connect with Blaine's head and then he-" Kurt's voice cracked, "Then he fell to the floor."

"And then you called an ambulance?"

Kurt shook his head, "I was trying to make sure he was okay, and I was holding him and trying to keep him awake. I told his father to call, but the fucking coward fled. Luckily our neighbour came in and called the ambulance for me."

"Okay. That should be it. Thank you, Mr. Hummel." Kurt nodded and watched the officer leave, feeling completely deflated afterwards. Cassandra came back into the room with a steaming cup.

"Here," She handed it to him. It was coffee. Kurt offered a weak smile and thanked her, taking a sip. Despite the situation, it warmed him. That is, until he was reminded of when Blaine was in New York—the second time—and he had tried to make coffee on Kurt's espresso machine. He had made such a mess. A bubble of laughter escaped him and when Cassandra asked what was funny, he told her the story. They both laughed and she told a story in return. Each was holding one of Blaine's hands tightly in their own, but they tried to keep the mood happy with the silly stories.

"There was this one time," Cassandra started, her head tilting to the side and a smile on her lips, "He had to be about seven and we went to the local park. I remember one of the little girls coming up to him and kissing his cheek. His face was priceless; he was so disgusted and ran off. I knew then he was gay."

They both laughed again. "I have this one memory from High School. It was the week of exams and Blaine was _so_ worried about his French exam. Of course, I've always been naturally talented in the language, so I didn't need to study. But I thought I'd try and help out so I refused to speak to him in English. I remember, about half way through the day, he got so annoyed that he spent a good half an hour studying the dictionary and coming up with this phrase. I knew what he was trying to say, of course, but he ended up saying that 'he was going to go to break if she wouldn't speak English'. I laughed so hard, and he just couldn't understand why."

Cassandra laughed and looked at her son's face. "He always has been terrible at French."

A couple hours later Cassandra was half way through one of her own stories when Kurt thought he felt pressure on his hand. He waved it off, and tried to listen to her story, but it happened again. He looked down at Blaine, squeezing his own hand. When the pressure was returned Kurt let out a cry of joy and took Blaine's face gently in his hands. His eyes slowly opened, and hazel met blue.


	21. Somewhere Only We Know

**A/N:** Well, this is it. This is the end. I know I just updated, but I couldn't help but publish this chapter now. I would sincerely appreciate it if you could take the time to read the author's note at the bottom of this, and I hope you enjoy this chapter. Thank you, again, for sticking with my through this journey. I truly love you all.

* * *

**21. Somewhere Only We Know**

* * *

"Kurt?" Blaine asked his voice rough and barely audible.

"Yes, yes Blaine I'm here." Kurt's hands roamed over his boyfriend, not sure if he wanted to hug him, kiss him, or what.

"What happened? Where are we?"

"We're in the hospital, Blaine." Kurt said quietly, pushing his curls out of his face and letting his hands linger. He watched as Blaine's expression changed from confusion, to realization, to finally relief.

"You're okay, thank god." He breathed, reaching one of his own hands up and intertwining his fingers with Kurt's. "If he would've hurt you I don't know what I would've done."

"Me? Blaine he hurt _you_," Kurt could feel the stinging in his eyes again, "I thought I had lost you. There was so much _blood_."

"Hey, it's alright Kurt. I'm fine." Blaine whispered, tilting his head up to kiss Kurt gently. "Everything's okay now."

Cassandra cleared her throat gently and both boys jumped. Kurt had completely forgotten she was there and he blushed at the public display of affection. "Mom?"

"Hi, sweetheart." Cassandra responded tearfully, "I'm so sorry about your father. I… I didn't know."

"I tried to call," Blaine's voice cracked, "I tried to call every month, and you never picked up."

"Your father made us switch our number… he told me you wanted nothing to do with us." She scooted forward, closer, "I wish I would've known what he was doing. I'm so sorry Blaine. I'm… I'm divorcing him. No one hurts my baby and gets away with it."

"I love you, mom."

"I love you too."

"I missed you."

"I missed you, too." Cassandra breathed, pulling her son close.

* * *

Blaine was forced to stay in the hospital for a week for observation, but when Kurt suggested he stay Blaine wouldn't have it. He sent both Kurt and his mother home, listening to their promise of returning the next morning. The room was eerily quiet when they were gone, and for the first couple of minutes Blaine felt terribly uncomfortable. He didn't quite understand why the doctor insisted he stay for a full week. A couple days, sure, but a week seemed a bit much. All Blaine wanted to do was to go home with Kurt and live his life. Finish schooling and then maybe move out to New York. He could see him and Kurt living there in a year, Kurt returning to Broadway and Blaine selling his art and both of them just _living._

They would get married, Blaine knew. He knew from the first time they kissed that Kurt was the only one he wanted to—he could marry. He was the one for Blaine, it was simple as that. And with people buying his paintings for the amount they were, Blaine could let Kurt plan the whole wedding however and wherever he wanted and then he'd surprise him with a Honeymoon somewhere special and isolated. Somewhere warm, because Kurt loved the warmth. Maybe Hawaii, maybe the Caribbean. Or maybe he'd take him to the Atlantis resort in the Bahamas. All he knew was that he'd almost lost Kurt too many times for his liking, and he wanted to make sure that he stayed Blaine's. Always.

* * *

The week he had to spend in the hospital was so painfully boring that Blaine thought he would go insane. Kurt had to work, as did his mom. So for most of the day he was stuck in his room by himself. Kurt had brought his newly acquired iPhone for him, but Angry Birds was only amusing for so long and then it was just annoying. Usually he would just listen to music, but he had the tendency to sing along and had already been told twice to keep quiet. Blaine hated hospitals.

When the doctor finally came in and told him he was aloud to leave, Blaine practically jumped out of the bed. He took the change of clothes Kurt had brought him off the window ledge and got changed quickly, placing his wallet and phone in his pockets before going to sign himself out. The nurse at the desk asked if he would be driving and Blaine said he wasn't; glad when she let him leave without having to call Kurt or his mom to pick him up.

When the cab driver asked where to go Blaine, in a spur-of-the-moment thought, told him to drive to the jewellery shop that was downtown. The cab driver smirked, "Buying something for the girlfriend?"

"No, boyfriend," Blaine said offhandedly. "I'm buying a ring."

* * *

Kurt arrived home a bit later that evening, getting held back by some of the juniors asking him questions about being a Broadway star. When he opened the door to his and Blaine's apartment he was met by the dim light of what had to be at least a hundred candles. They led in a line towards the bedroom. Kurt placed his bag on the kitchen counter before following them into the room.

It was beautiful. There were even more candles in here, all letting of a beautiful sent, and rose petals were strewn artistically around the room. On the bed there was a single piece of paper. Kurt gingerly took it in his hands, unfolding it and smiling when he saw a drawing of a restaurant. Only Blaine would take the time to do all this. He quickly got dressed, making sure to blow all the candles out, before heading back out into the chilly Seattle night. He showed the cab driver that was already waiting the picture and he nodded.

They drove through the town and Kurt couldn't help but admire what a beautiful night it was. When they arrived at the restaurant, Kurt thanked the cab driver. When he tried to pay him, however, the man shook his head. "It's been taken care of, Mr. Hummel. Have a good evening."

Kurt thanked the man again before getting out of the cab. When he entered the restaurant it was completely empty and dark, except for one table in the center of the room with more candles, rose petals, as well as another folded piece of paper and a single red rose.

This paper had a drawing of the Space Needle on it, and Kurt momentarily panicked before realizing Blaine would never do that to him. He took the rose and went back outside to find the cab still there.

"Thank you for waiting," Kurt said when he sat down.

"Of course, Mr. Hummel. To the Space Needle, right?" Kurt nodded in affirmation.

They started the slow drive to the Needle again and Kurt gazed at the rose in his hands. It was bare, thankfully, and such a beautiful shade of red. Kurt inhaled the sent happily.

They arrived at the Space Needle and Kurt saw another path of candles and Rose petals. "As sweet as that is, he's going to set the entire town on fire." The cab driver laughed as Kurt stepped out into the cold. He walked along to the front of the Space Needle, looking up at its great height. Sitting on a bunch of Rose petals and being held down by a single candle was another sheet of paper and a post card from the Space Needle. Kurt smiled and turned over the card.

_Hello, my love. I'm sure you've already figured out that this is all my doing. Well, I don't see who else it… oh never mind. I just really wanted to do something special for us tonight, I hope you don't mind. I know that the kids can be annoying sometimes and I really hope you're not, like, extremely tired right now. I'll feel terrible if you are. But anyway, love, you're nearly there. I'll be waiting._

_Loving you always, Blaine. Xx_

Kurt smiled and hugged the post card to him for a moment before picking up the next sheet. This one had a drawing of Blaine's school. Kurt raised an eyebrow, sort of hoping this wasn't where Blaine was waiting, although he wouldn't mind too much. He walked back to the cab, all smiled. The driver smiled back before starting off again without Kurt telling him where to go.

They arrived at Blaine's school quickly to, yet again, more candles and Rose petals. Kurt followed them to the entrance of the art department. This time there was a face-down canvas and the folded up piece of paper. Kurt picked up the canvas to see an elaborate painting of him standing at the waterfront, his back turned to the viewer, and the sunset hitting him in a very flattering way. Kurt loved it. He loved that Blaine had taken the time to paint it. For him. He picked up the folded piece of paper and saw a drawing of the waterfront, a very specific area of the waterfront as well. Kurt had a feeling that this would be it, where Blaine was waiting. After all, he thought as he walked back to the cab, the restaurant was the one they had eaten at on their last date, and the Space Needle was Kurt's first date in Seattle, Blaine school was his big milestone and then the waterfront was the place that they went whenever they simply wanted to be together.

The driver stopped just a bit away from where Kurt had to go, and Kurt smiled at the man. When he went to pick up the things Blaine had given, the driver stopped him. "Don't worry; I'm staying here until you two are finished."

"Thank you so much," Kurt gushed before stepping out. Unlike the past couple of places, the waterfront was busy as always. But Kurt spotted Blaine through it all. He was standing facing the water, dressed in a nice suit and his curls were being blown slightly by the wind. Kurt started at a brisk pace, his heart beating quickly in anticipation.

Just as he reached Blaine, the shorter man turned. The smile that spread on his face made Kurt's heart burst, and he threw himself into Blaine's arms.

"Hello, love." Blaine chuckled.

"Blaine…" Kurt breathed, "Oh my god, Blaine this is… You are…" Kurt smiled and kissed him deeply, "You're incredible."

"You liked it, then?"

"Of course I liked it, Blaine!" He gushed, "It was so romantic. And the gifts… and the drawings… When did you…?"

"I was let out of the hospital early today, so I had lots of time to work it all out. I also had a couple young girls who were a bit eager to ask you a few questions…" He smirked.

Kurt's jaw dropped, "_You_ are the cause behind me staying an extra _two hours_?"

"I didn't think they'd have _that_ many questions… I was thinking half an hour tops."

Kurt shook his head, "You're incredible."

"Thank you." Blaine smiled, grabbing Kurt's hand. "Kurt… I really wanna say something to you."

"Um… okay?" Kurt asked, feeling a bit nervous suddenly. His heart was pounding in his chest at the look Blaine was giving him. Blaine stopped them and turned Kurt so he was facing him.

"Kurt, I love you more than I've ever loved anyone. You're the most amazing person I've ever met, and I've almost lost you twice already. I…" Blaine smiled before dropping down onto one knee. Kurt gasped loudly, bringing the hand Blaine wasn't holding tightly to his mouth. "Kurt, I don't ever want to lose you again. I want to be able to call you mine for forever and always. I want us to grow old together and be able to love each other for the rest of our lives. So Kurt Elizabeth Hummel, Broadway sensation and love of my life, will you marry me?"

Kurt stared down at his boyfriend, tears flowing freely down his cheeks. He let out a small sob and pulled Blaine to his feet, throwing his arms around his neck immediately. "Of course I'll marry you. I love you so much."

Blaine pulled away from Kurt just enough to kiss him deeply. Suddenly people all around them started clapping and Kurt and Blaine pulled away, though they kept their arms around one another. Kurt gazed into Blaine's eyes and they both laughed. Blaine rested his forehead against Kurt's, "I got you a ring."

"Blaine you didn't have to…"

"I wanted to." Blaine pulled the ring out of his pocket with shaking hands. He took Kurt's left hand in his own. "It's an infinite circle because, um, I feel like no matter what we manage to find each other again, and I know that I'll love you forever. It's kind of stupid."

"No it's not," Kurt said, taking the ring from his boy- from his fiancé. It was mostly silver, though Kurt could see a band of gold in it, and there were diamonds all the way around it. They weren't huge and flashy, thank god, but small and just… perfect. He noticed words inscribed on the inside and brought it closer so he could read it. _'You and I will be young forever'. _Kurt smiled, tears coming to his eyes.

"Was Teenage Dream too corny? Oh god it probably was, I'm sorry. We can… we can get it fixed, I just thought that that was the first song that I sung to you so it'd be-" Kurt stopped Blaine with a kiss, throwing his arms back around him.

"Blaine, no. It's wonderful. It's perfect. I… it's everything I could ever ask for." Kurt kissed him again.

"Can I… I mean, since I'm proposing I should probably…" Kurt understood what he was saying and handed the ring back to Blaine, who stepped back just a little and took Kurt's left hand in his own again. His hands shook as he slid the ring onto Kurt's finger. He nearly jumped with joy when it fit perfectly.

"Oh, Blaine," Kurt breathed, "It's beautiful. Thank you."

"Of course, love." Blaine said, taking his hand and starting to walk. The feel of the cold silver against his finger filled his heart with warmth. "I want you to know that you can do whatever you want for the wedding, but I am in charge of the Honeymoon."

Kurt pursed his lips, but nodded. "Fine. What's my budget?"

"You don't have one. Plan your dream wedding Kurt. I don't care where it is, how much it costs, who's coming. As long as my mom and my granddad are invited, and that you'll walk down that isle."

"You mean it?" Kurt asked.

"Of course. With my art selling like it is it isn't a problem."

"Thank you, Blaine." Kurt said.

"Thank _you_, Kurt. For being with me." They reached the cab, but before stepping in Kurt kissed Blaine.

"There is _no one_ who I'd rather be with. You're my everything, Blaine, and I love you."

"I love you, too."

* * *

**A/N:** Alright, so I hope you guys liked that. I'm not going to lie, I cried when I wrote it. I don't know if it's because this is over, or because I love seeing my OTP together (even in my own fics) but yeah. Thank you. So much. I know I say that a lot, but I mean it. It's just so amazing having people who will take the time to read my stories, review and just... who give me the confidence to continue writing even when my own parents tell me that I'm not good enough to continue.

But that's not what I wanted to talk about down here. I actually want to ask you guys if anyone would be interested in me writing a _very_ short sequel to this. All it would be is their wedding and honeymoon, maximum ten chapters. I'd completely understand if no one wants to read it, but if you do please tell me.

Again, thank you _so much_ for being with me through this story.

Oh gosh, I've always hated goodbyes. So I'm not going to say goodbye. Just thank you thank you thank you. xBree


	22. Oh, look! There's a Sequel!

The prologue for the sequel to An Artist Who's Lost His Touch is now up. If you go to my author page, it's "I Just Want to Hear You Laugh". Thank you again for being such wonderful readers, and to everyone who asked for a sequel. I look forward to reading your guys' opinions on the sequel!

~Bree


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